<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Flap of A Butterfly's Wings by Emerald_Heart12</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28455954">The Flap of A Butterfly's Wings</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emerald_Heart12/pseuds/Emerald_Heart12'>Emerald_Heart12</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Butterfly Effect [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Akechi Goro and Okumura Haru are Allies, Akechi Goro and Sakura Futaba Are Half-Siblings, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kurosu Jun &amp; Suou Tatsuya Are the Parents of Persona 5 Protagonist, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Pre-Canon, Shido-Typical Shido-ness, but mostly out of context or minor, but you don't need to know them to enjoy the fic, including persona 1 and persona 2, minor allusions and references to ALL persona games</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:13:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,023</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28455954</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emerald_Heart12/pseuds/Emerald_Heart12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Just as the flap of a butterfly’s wings can influence the direction of a tornado, a small white lie can overturn a false god’s predetermined fate. </p>
<p>Following Wakaba Isshiki’s mental collapse, Goro Akechi neglects to mention her child’s identity to Shido, knowing all too well what Shido does to ‘loose ends’.  He just doesn’t expect that loose end to be a new beginning for him; one that opens a path to family, friendship, and—dare he say it—happiness. </p>
<p>. . . He just has to get past Masayoshi Shido, with Futaba Sakura and Haru Okumura as his unlikely allies.</p>
<p>(For the time being, this will update weekly, every Friday/Saturday!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>(Eventual), Akechi Goro &amp; Kurosu Jun, Akechi Goro &amp; Niijima Sae, Akechi Goro &amp; Okumura Haru, Akechi Goro &amp; Sakura Futaba, Akechi Goro &amp; Sakura Sojiro, Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Butterfly Effect [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2084307</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Goro Big Bang 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Blessings and Curses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>My piece for the Goro Big Bang!! Unfortunately it's not as much as I would have liked to post thanks to school, but I plan on (hopefully) updating this every week until it's finished! </p>
<p>This was done in cooperation with Lizzie (@isntfateartistic/@oshitsweetflips), whose <a href="https://twitter.com/oshitsweetflips/status/1355665012371537923?s=20">absolutely gorgeous work is here</a>~ definitely go check her work out!</p>
<p>Now with that said, enjoy!!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wakaba Isshiki's Palace seems to be a host for malignant spirits.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>⚠️ Content Warning: Goro nearly drowns in the middle of the chapter so if that's something you'd rather avoid, please skip that part! (It's from: [My grip . . . is loosening . . .] to [the water was fresh].)⚠️</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Wakaba Isshiki. Research laboratory. Forest Kingdom. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Beginning navigation.</em>
</p>
<p>Goro Akechi takes a deep breath as he stabilises himself on the grassy floor, the soil crumbling away under his polished shoes. Straightening himself, he dusts off the crumbs of dirt that flecked onto his pants, a stark contrast from the unblemished white.</p>
<p>“He’s here!” a Shadow titters excitedly, its faerie wings quivering in excitement. “The Conquestor has returned!” She zips around him, boosting him with a spell for luck. “Best of luck with your journey, Conquestor!”</p>
<p>Nearby Shadows and other woodland inhabitants—bunnies, squirrels, birds, deer, and the like—look up from what they’re doing to offer Goro polite waves or greeting glances.</p>
<p>Isshiki had told him that these beings were manifestations of cognition, formed by distorted desires that had often gone out of control, but no matter how many times Goro comes to her own cognitive world, he never finds himself unwelcome by its inhabitants. <em>It’s probably because I’m helping Isshiki-san with her research, and if the world manifests from a desire for it, it makes my existence here absolutely essential</em>, he thinks, pleased.</p>
<p>He can sense a quiet rumble from Loki—a newfound companion alongside Robin Hood; one that Isshiki had roused from deeper within Goro—but he tamps it down. The Shadows here seem far fonder of Goro with Robin Hood, despite Isshiki’s adamance in her preference for Loki. Idly, Goro wonders if she’s lying about it, but he brushes it aside.</p>
<p>After all, today, he isn’t here for reconnaissance. Today, he has a mission.</p>
<p>He sets his shoulders and takes a step towards what Robin tells him is one of the deeper parts of Isshiki's cognitive world, unhindered by the woodland creatures—he suspects those are likely other people who work at the lab—and the faerie-like Shadows that wave cheerfully in his direction. From the corner of his eye, he can see a bright-eyed young girl chasing after him, and his breath hitches. He knows who it is albeit only through what Isshiki has told him herself: Futaba, Isshiki's daughter and, in her own words, “the light of her life.”</p>
<p>And in this realm, the Faerie Princesswho doesn't leave the Shadow Isshiki's mansion.</p>
<p>“Heyyyyyyy! Gorooooooo!” she calls, waving her arms at him.</p>
<p>She's the only person in this realm who doesn't call him <em>Conquestor</em>. Goro figures that it's probably because she's mostly unrelated to Isshiki's research, but there's something about being addressed so casually for the first time in so long that sends a shiver down his spine.</p>
<p>He has to remind himself that this Futaba Isshiki is not a real person, and what she says has no effect on the one in reality.</p>
<p>“Futaba-chan,” he smiles politely. It's not quite the smile he reserves for Shido, and not quite the smile for Isshiki either. But it also isn't the smile he used to save for his mother.</p>
<p>“Whatcha doing?” she asks eagerly, her white dress billowing behind her as she runs to catch up to him. “It's been a while since you've been here. Why don't you play with me anymore?” she sulks.</p>
<p>Goro doesn't have the heart to tell her that his intention had never really been to keep her company, real or not.</p>
<p>“Mom's never even home anymore so I'm all alone. It's so totally unfair! She won't even take us for a holiday!” Futaba whines, before latching onto Goro's waist. “Can't you tell her? Pleeeeease?”</p>
<p><em>She isn't the real one</em>, Goro reminds herself, patting Futaba lightly on the head. “I don't really see why she'd listen to me, but . . . I'll see what I can do, okay?”</p>
<p>“Yay! You're the cooliest Julius!”</p>
<p>“The . . . what?”</p>
<p>Futaba doesn't offer an explanation, instead turning on her heels and running back in the direction of the mansion, leaving Goro to shake his head.</p>
<p>Isshiki's parting words are still clear in his memory: <em>Today, you have one goal. Identify the source of the cognitive world—the core of it that causes the distortion—and bring it back. We must find out what the cause for these distortions are.</em></p>
<p>Goro had carefully noted the troubled, almost hesitant look in her eyes as she said it—one not dissimilar to the way his mother used to look at him when she would send him to the bathhouse when a client of hers came over.</p>
<p><em>No matter what happens, </em>he reminds himself<em>, this is to make Shido repent. That is my goal. The endgame.</em></p>
<p>He recalls his last meeting with Shido in vivid detail. It goes without saying: he can't allow himself to falter for even a moment if he truly wants to destroy Shido. He has to be careful to remember even the smallest of intricacies, lest he risk gaining Shido’s ire.</p>
<p><em>“Akechi. Keep an eye on Isshiki, will you?”</em> Shido had asked, rotating his wineglass in his hand. “<em>You will inform me if she begins to show even the slightest notion of a potential betrayal. In this line of work, we cannot afford to take risks. I'm sure even a child like you understands that, yes?”</em></p>
<p>Goro's been in Isshiki's cognitive world without her knowledge more times than he can recall now. He’s given Shido various, though not particularly detailed, reports about her cognitive realm, focusing on the nature of the Shadows; the form of the world itself; and the appearance of its other inhabitants as opposed to their real world counterparts.</p>
<p>Still, this is the first time she's sent him into <em>her</em> world with an objective of which Masayoshi Shido did not know.</p>
<p>Goro steels himself before continuing deeper into the forest. There are a few hostiles he encounters along the way, but none of them stand a chance against Robin Hood, who downs each of them with a swift, graceful strike of an arrow. <em>Isshiki-san mentioned that there were some people in the lab that aren’t as appreciative of what I do in the Metaverse . . . is that her cognition of them?</em> He can’t fight the appreciation of the fact that Isshiki seemed to have a negative view of the research he was able to procure for her. <em>The nicer ones seem to be happy enough to see those ones go.</em></p>
<p>There’s probably a divide in the lab, now that he thinks about it.</p>
<p>Not that it quite matters to him, he reminds himself as Robin Hood urges him in the direction of the distortion. Goro adjusts his mask, allowing Robin to navigate him towards the centre: a clear grove with a single, ornate wishing well in the centre, surrounded by a shimmery aura.</p>
<p>“<em>Who goes there?</em>”</p>
<p>Goro can’t seem to locate the origin of the voice—it’s like it formed from the air itself; the rush of the leaves and petals falling; the babbling of the brook that runs past; the chirps and squeaks of the little woodland animals in the forest.</p>
<p>He stands up straight, dusting off his white suit. “Conquestor Goro Akechi.”</p>
<p>The grove itself seems to accept his answer. It welcomes him in with a warm breeze that lifts his hair to tickle his face and lets his cape flutter ever so gently.</p>
<p>
  <em>—the electric whirr of a fan sounds in a sterile, white room as a card reader beeps—</em>
</p>
<p>“<em>Come in</em>,” it urges, the breeze ushering him forward as a type of cat butts its head against Goro’s pant leg.</p>
<p>Goro leans down into a squat, allowing the cat to sniff his hand. “Hi there, kitty,” he coos as it presses its face into his glove. Of course, the cat isn’t wearing a collar—it’s in a forest in Isshiki’s cognition, so it definitely doesn’t have a name.</p>
<p>Looking closer, it’s a white-and-red longhaired cat with golden eyes, almost like a Shadow’s would be. Goro doesn’t know what breed it is, but it seems quite affectionate.</p>
<p>“Hello,” he says again, watching with something of a smile as the cat presses its head into his gloved hand again, meowing at him.</p>
<p>Goro takes off his right glove, gently threading his fingers through the fur on the cat’s head. “You’re quite cute,” he says softly.</p>
<p>The cat meows at him in response, rubbing its face on the side of his palm as it looks up at him with those wide golden eyes. Goro reaches behind its ears, using his fingertips to scratch lightly at the base of its ears, eliciting a purr from the creature.</p>
<p>Even though it’s yet another cognitive being, Goro can’t help but be entranced by its gentleness and kindness. Unlike the other cognitions and Shadows here, this cat doesn’t seem to hold a reverence or distaste for him—it feels for a moment as if he truly exists as himself in front of it.</p>
<p>“Wait here, okay?” he tells the cat with another small pat to its head as he puts his glove back on. “I’m on a mission, so you need to stay safe.”</p>
<p>The cat meows and dips its head—almost like it understood what he said. It doesn’t follow him either.</p>
<p>“Good kitty,” Goro smiles at the cat one more time before reminding himself of his task. <em>Enough dallying. I need to find the core of this cognitive world . . . the source of its creation . . .</em></p>
<p>Robin Hood directs Goro’s attention to the centre of the grove, where</p>
<p>
  <em>—an empty lab chair—</em>
</p>
<p>a single stone well stands, next to</p>
<p>
  <em>—a tall stool—</em>
</p>
<p>a large rock that almost looks like it could be used as a seat.</p>
<p>“The core is . . . the well?” Goro wonders aloud, approaching it cautiously, wary of the sudden increase of power that seems to surround it.</p>
<p>“<em>Close, but not quite</em>,” the breezy voice laughs, before taking form in the shape of what Goro can only describe as a Fae Queen from a book he’s read once.</p>
<p>Rather, it was <em>Wakaba Isshiki</em> in the form of a Fae Queen.</p>
<p>“Isshiki-san.” Goro quickly remembers to bow down on one knee, as the other faeries had done when greeting him.</p>
<p>“It always baffles me how polite you are, Goro-kun,” she sighs, reaching down to pat his head before righting herself. “Still, you are here to take my Treasure, yes?”</p>
<p>“Treasure?”</p>
<p>Isshiki—rather, Isshiki’s <em>Shadow</em>—spreads her arms wide. “The core of my cognitive world! The source of my desires, and . . . why, and the item that keeps its existence together as a whole!”</p>
<p>“I . . . see,” Goro says, careful. He understands the behaviour of the others in this world well enough to know that it’s important to remain deferent to Isshiki as the Queen here, but he still doesn’t quite know how he himself should act.</p>
<p>Admittedly, there’s something unsettling about the fact that he has yet to encounter Isshiki’s cognition of himself. He knows that he’s absolutely fundamental to Isshiki’s research, after all, and he’s at the lab all the time. It doesn’t make sense that despite that, a cognition of himself would fail to appear when Isshiki’s cognition of her daughter is present.</p>
<p>“Ah, how many times must I tell you to be more informal? You are the Conquestor, after all. All this beautiful work”—she gestures grandly around her—“would not exist without your aid. In fact, I’m even indebted to you, Goro-kun!”</p>
<p>Goro winces as Shido’s warning flashes in his head. “Isshiki-san,” he repeats, steeling himself, “you know why I’m here.”</p>
<p>“Why, yes, I do. Though . . .” her eyes harden, the yellow-gold that’s customary to Shadows solidifying into a harsh amber. “Despite the wishes of my self in reality, I cannot allow you to plunder my precious glade.”</p>
<p>“Isshiki-san,” Goro pauses, not wanting to risk upsetting her Shadow, “your research—the expansion of your lovely kingdom will not be able to progress much further without this information.”</p>
<p>“I am aware. Yet this would easily be just as possible to operate on another individual? Suppose a change in cognition were to occur. Would I not lose my kingdom altogether? Would it not render everything I worked for for naught?”</p>
<p>Goro doesn’t quite know how to respond, but he does note Isshiki’s voice starting to raise.</p>
<p>“Look at my kingdom, <em>Goro Akechi</em>. Look at how happy these people are. Look at how <em>nice</em>, how <em>comforting</em> this forest is. Would you really destroy it?” she seethes, words laced with venom.</p>
<p>
  <em>—the room is harsh and unforgiving; each time he settles into the chair he feels sick as Isshiki’s smile glows—</em>
</p>
<p>“<em>You</em>, Goro-kun, are my <em>key item</em> to improving this world. To make this forest <em>complete</em>.”</p>
<p>Heart pounding, Goro realises why he hasn’t seen Isshiki’s version of him in this world.</p>
<p>“If you try and destroy this now . . .” her voice is laced with hostility, the rest of the sentence hanging in the air, unsaid. A storm crackles in the distance, dark clouds forming over the clear grove.</p>
<p>
  <em>—she frowns at him, telling him that he needs to try harder, find more data, this isn’t enough—</em>
</p>
<p>“Issh—”</p>
<p>“<em>Do you know just how hard I’ve been working for this? How much I’ve sacrificed?</em>” Isshiki spits the words now, the beautiful tiara atop her head falling off as her wings beat faster, those amber Shadow eyes piercing into Goro’s soul.</p>
<p>
  <em>—she sighs irritably, raising the setting of the machines as high as they can go—</em>
</p>
<p>Isshiki’s skin gets blotchy, and horns sprout from her head, her teeth sharpening and body morphing until she looks more like wild fey than fairy queen. “Do you know what I had to offer that rotten man, so many years ago, just to be able to continue my research? Do you know why I raise Futaba alone with Sojiro?”</p>
<p>There’s too much information for Goro to sort through at once, too much that that statement can mean. He files it away for later.</p>
<p>
  <em>—Masayoshi Shido steps into the monitoring room, and Isshiki’s expression feels too similar to Goro’s mother’s used to when she thought he wasn’t looking—</em>
</p>
<p>He’s already lost his focus, he realises as Isshiki’s Shadow hits him with a Ziodyne, temporarily shocking him. “Isshi—ki—sa . . .” he trails off, unable to continue. It <em>stings</em>, it <em>hurts</em> and it <em>burns</em>, and Goro falls to his knees, trying to choke in a breath.</p>
<p>The wizard standing in the back of the grove scowls over at Isshiki, head lifting in disapproval, and— <em>Shido, it’s Shido</em>, Goro realises too late—</p>
<p>The wind is knocked out from his lungs again with what Robin Hood tells him is a Panta Rhei.</p>
<p>Goro curls in on himself on the grass, clutching his arms as he tries to breathe. <em>I’m not— not going to die here</em>, he tells himself and Robin, finding security in the words. <em>I have to find out what’s going to happen.</em></p>
<p>With a shudder, he pries his hands off his sleeves, and rips off his mask as Robin sends a concentrated Eigaon at Isshiki.</p>
<p>“<em>How dare you betray me like this</em>,” she hisses, but Goro’s already managed to get himself off the ground and is running towards the well as fast as he can go. He also sends a Kougaon in Shido’s direction for good measure (and he has to admit, the sight of Shido knocked off his feet in a stupid wizard robe and hat because he’s weak to <em>bless</em> attacks is profoundly ironic).</p>
<p>Isshiki lets out a screech as she seems to charge up, just as Goro dashes into the shiny mist that surrounds the well, gasping and panting. He manages to seat himself on the brass rim of the well</p>
<p>
  <em>—he settles into the leathery reclining chair—</em>
</p>
<p>as the mist around him absorbs Isshiki’s lightning attack.</p>
<p>
  <em>That means I’m right—in her cognition, this wishing well is . . . the Metaverse, the source of her research. I’m protected by it because I’m the only one who can enter, but it blocks her out because she can’t. It’s the same with Shido, too . . .</em>
</p>
<p>A nudge from Robin tells him that the source of the power is even nearer now—likely at the bottom of the well; what would be to Isshiki as her only gateway to the Metaverse, through Goro.</p>
<p>Goro steels himself and steps along the side of the well, where small stairs line the interior of the circumference. Taking a deep breath as another of Isshiki’s attacks strengthens the mist around him, Goro puts a foot onto the first stair</p>
<p>
  <em>—Goro closes his eyes as she attaches the electrodes to him—</em>
</p>
<p>and the floor falls out from under him.</p>
<p>It’s a cruel irony, really, Goro thinks as he free falls: Isshiki illusioning both herself and anyone else to think that the way Goro would enter the Metaverse was safe. <em>At the very least, she knows it’s not safe. Not exactly comfortable either.</em> Goro can feel his stomach already lurching.</p>
<p>Instinctively, Goro curls in on himself, momentarily relieved that he chose not to eat lunch. He pulls his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around himself just as he ends up plunging into a mass of freshwater. He’s still in the confines of the well, no doubt, but something shiny near the base catches his eye.</p>
<p>Goro’s stomach lurches again—he’s never learned how to swim; never needed to know how, but all he can do is try and recall what he’s overheard about it.</p>
<p>He shakes his head, forces his eyes open (even as the water stings uncomfortably), and kicks wildly, then forces his arms outwards as though he’s trying to push the water out of his path.</p>
<p>Somehow, it works—he feels himself moving closer towards the shiny object: a pail; a large one that looked like it was meant to collect water from the well. <em>It fits thematically, but . . . it isn’t the core . . . ?</em></p>
<p>Goro frowns, blinking rapidly to regain his attention. He can already feel his breath start to wane, and he gulps down a mouthful of water. <em>Just . . . a little more . . .</em></p>
<p>With one last kick, he propels himself closer to the pail, Fighting desperately against the undercurrent, he grabs frantically at whatever was inside it, encouraged by Robin’s cree that he’s finally reached the source of the distortion.</p>
<p>His fingers close around a round metallic object. In the back of Goro’s mind, Robin buzzes with approval and Loki with satisfaction.</p>
<p><em>Something</em>, he thinks, eyes bleary, <em>doesn’t make sense . . . why am I not protected from the water . . . when in her cognition, I’m the only one who can enter the Metaverse . . . ? Does the pail have something to do with it . . . ?</em></p>
<p>Needing both hands free, Goro jams the round object in his mouth and manages to pull himself into the pail—it’s definitely big enough for him to fit into—where, for some reason, the water pressure weighs on him less, allowing for clearer thought. <em>I see . . . the pail is like a ‘safe zone’ for me?</em></p>
<p>Inside the pail is, however, a rope that looks like it’ll pull him up. <em>I have the core now . . . all I need is to remove it from the Metaverse.</em> Goro bites harder on the piece of metal, grabs onto the rope, and with an added fragment of strength from both Robin and Loki, he <em>pulls</em>. The density of the water, at least, makes it easier for him to lift himself up, but . . .</p>
<p><em>My grip . . . is loosening . . .</em> Goro blinks hard, trying to deter the black spots in his vision, but to no avail. <em>I’ll . . . I’ll drown like this . . .</em></p>
<p>
  <em>I’m . . . so close to the surface . . . just . . . just a little more . . . I can’t die yet, not now, not when I’m so close to Shido . . .</em>
</p>
<p>He can feel the metal fall out from his mouth into the pail, and mouthfuls of water flood into his throat.</p>
<p>
  <em>I can’t breathe I can’t breathe I can’t—</em>
</p>
<p>He’s vaguely aware of the sensation of water flooding his nose, choking him and blocking his airway completely, and he’s just about to give in when—</p>
<p>
  <em>I don’t want to die yet!</em>
</p>
<p>With a final burst of adrenaline, Goro manages to yank on the rope one last time. He pulls himself above the surface of the water and gasps in a breath of air, before promptly coughing up the water he swallowed. <em>At the very least</em>, he thinks distantly, <em>the water was fresh.</em></p>
<p>Still addled from the massive attacks from Isshiki, the fall into the water, and nearly drowning, Goro fishes around his pockets for one of the medicines Isshiki had given him. It’s a small tablet, meant to increase his adrenaline (and thanks to the convenient metacognitive rules of the Metaverse, heals some of his wounds). It makes him feel a little bit better about the three near-death experiences he’s had in the last ten minutes.</p>
<p>Goro takes a deep breath (of air this time, thankfully), then takes off his mask and decides to look inside the pail that’s now floating on the water.</p>
<p>Robin guides his hand to the cognitive distortion source again, and this time, when Goro picks it up, he can finally see what it is—a coin. Except it has his face imprinted upon it, bordered with a laurel wreath made from infinity symbols.</p>
<p>Goro doesn’t quite know how to feel—as far as he can tell, it’s definitely the source of the distortion that’s formed Isshiki’s cognitive realm, but if Robin’s readings on it are correct—</p>
<p>
  <em>This is her cognition . . . of me.</em>
</p>
<p>If Goro’s honest with himself, there’s something that’s absolutely <em>thrilling</em> about being the whole reason that this whole place exists. He’s so <em>important</em> here; so absolutely vital and necessary to the lives and wellbeing of all the inhabitants of this place that it sends a rush of energy through him. He’s <em>needed</em> here—he’s the source of every benefit.</p>
<p><em>Isshiki-san </em>needs<em> me</em>, he thinks, and Robin Hood lets out a pleasant hum in Goro’s mind, preening under the acknowledgement, the <em>validation</em>.</p>
<p>Loki lets out a breathy laugh instead, a dark undercurrent in Goro’s mind that reminds him that he’s so important here that the moment he disappears, everything else will crumble beneath his heel.</p>
<p>
  <em>I’m the one in control here.</em>
</p>
<p>Even if no one else knows it, this entire cognitive world is in the palm of Goro Akechi’s hand, and he absolutely <em>relishes</em> it.</p>
<p>Even <em>Shido</em> was nothing more than someone else who needs Goro to further his agenda, here or outside. There’s something that’s so absolutely satisfying and exhilarating about the fact that the person who twisted Goro’s life to be a literal Hell on Earth is in the palm of Goro’s hand.</p>
<p>Shido can’t use the cognitive world without Isshiki’s research, <em>all of which</em> relies upon Goro’s investigations. For all that Isshiki and Shido would ever know, he could lie about whatever was in here and they would be none the wiser.</p>
<p>A laugh bubbles in Goro’s throat at the thought, wild and unhinged, as he imagines the look on Shido’s face when he learns that he’s been duped by <em>his own abandoned son</em>.</p>
<p>Loki, as eager as he is for the chaos that would follow, nudges at Goro’s consciousness again. <em>In due time. In due time. We can’t mess up the plan before it’s even in action.</em></p>
<p>Goro nods, looking at the coin again. The other side of the coin has an image of Isshiki’s daughter embossed on it.</p>
<p>Futaba.</p>
<p>He doesn’t quite know why she’s there, especially when she has no relation to the actual research conducted. Perhaps it’s out of sentimentality?</p>
<p>No, as motherly as Isshiki is to her daughter, she isn’t the sentimental type. Goro’s seen her interactions with the man who assumes the form of this forest’s guardian—known in reality as Sojiro Sakura—and he’s seen that her affection for him and her daughter lies more in banter and teasing than sentimentality.</p>
<p><em>There’s a reason for this. </em>Goro pockets the coin and glances around the pail he’s sitting in. It’s filled with what looks to be little jewels that are easily sifted by his fingers when he tries to pick them up.</p>
<p>Back in the real world, Isshiki refers to her research on the Metaverse as the “crown jewels” of the lab. <em>These jewels are probably the information I give her after I get back from the Metaverse</em>, he reasons. <em>None of this would probably be useful to bring back, since it’s all things I should already know. But if they manifest in reality as something else, that could be different.</em></p>
<p>Goro promptly stuffs a few handfuls of the jewels into his pockets.</p>
<p>He closes his eyes for a moment, allowing himself to finish regaining his strength so he can face Isshiki’s Shadow and the cognitive Shido when he gets back up. With a sigh, he grabs the rope from inside the pail, and pulls himself up with the rest of the pail.</p>
<p>Surprisingly enough, it’s a lot easier to pull himself up than it had been to fall in, especially given that all he’d had to do was free fall, painful as it was. Perhaps it’s some sort of cognitive alteration?</p>
<p>By the time he reaches the surface, the stairs inside the well start to jut out from the corners. Carefully, Goro manages to swing the pail towards the stairs, eventually climbing out and seating himself on the stairs, just below the rim of the well. A glance upwards shows him that the misty force field, at the very least, is still in effect.</p>
<p>Goro shakes his head, and peers out from over the rim. Isshiki’s preternatural cognition of Shido still seems to be out of commission, lying face down on the grass. (Goro kind of hopes that he gets struck by lightning from the storm.)</p>
<p>Isshiki herself, however, has seemed to calm down. At the very least, she’s no longer raging about flinging lightning and curses everywhere, and she’s reverted to the humanoid form with which Goro was more familiar.</p>
<p>Goro takes a deep breath, and walks out of the well, immediately drawing Isshiki’s attention.</p>
<p>“Did—did you get my Treasure?” she hisses, Shadow-golden eyes wide as she strides over.</p>
<p>Goro frowns. “You mean the research jewels?”</p>
<p>She scowls, glaring at him like he’s an idiot. “Of <em>course</em> not. You know what I’m talking about.” She stalks closer, putting her hands on Goro’s shoulders, over the gold embellishments on his outfit.</p>
<p>Goro realises that she means the coin with him and Futaba on it—the one that is apparently supposed to stand in for her cognition of him.</p>
<p>He falters for a second. <em>If that’s her cognition of me, why is Futaba-chan on it? She has nothing to do with me . . .</em></p>
<p>“You know how much I need that? How much I need you here? You really think that you could pull shit like this and get away with it?” Isshiki growls, and Goro can feel her nails sharpening through the prince outfit he’s wearing, piercing into his shoulders a little. “Don’t you <em>fucking</em> dare take it,” she breathes.</p>
<p>Goro’s never heard Wakaba Isshiki swear in his <em>life</em>.</p>
<p>He narrows his eyes. <em>She thinks she can play bully with </em>me<em>?</em> Goro almost wants to scoff. <em>Unluckily for you, Isshiki-san, I know how King of the Castle works.</em></p>
<p>“<em>Fuck you</em>,” he spits, punches Isshiki in the face, and <em>runs</em>.</p>
<p>If nothing else, he manages to get a head start from dazing Isshiki. Robin informs him that <em>somehow</em>, he’d managed to land a critical hit on her, so it would be a good few minutes before she could get up.</p>
<p>Goro doesn’t waste time looking back to check, even as the coin in his pocket feels heavier with each step he takes. He can already sense something following him as a gust of wind blows past him; something Robin informs him is a Garula. It doesn’t quite hit him, but at the very least, it dries his clothes a little.</p>
<p>His legs are quickly starting to tire, given that he’s been running the whole way back from the glade and is almost back at the entrance, but just as they’re about to give out from under him—</p>
<p>“<em>Come here</em>,” a voice hisses, a small hand grabbing at his wrist and yanking sideways at him.</p>
<p>Reflexively, Goro almost tugs his hand back, before reminding himself that most of the inhabitants here aren’t hostile to him, just as he feels a Diarama revitalise him.</p>
<p>He allows himself to calm down so he can look at his saviour-slash-captor, only to see the cognitive Futaba looking up at him in concern.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” he breathes, catching his breath as she leads him into the mansion where she stayed.</p>
<p>“It’s coolio,” she says, flicking away a piece of gravel from her dress, leading him to a couch within the mansion and flicking on the television.</p>
<p>Goro tries not to pay attention to the sheer anachronism as the room warps slightly around him. <em>The cognitive distortion here seems weaker</em>, he notes. <em>Maybe this is meant to symbolise her house? But then why is it a part of the distortion from the lab?</em></p>
<p>“Mom’s angry with you?” Futaba whispers, pulling Goro out of his thoughts.</p>
<p>“Ah—yes, I think so.” He doesn’t elaborate.</p>
<p>“I think she’s mad at me too. I’ve been bugging her about going on a vacation for a while now but she yelled at me yesterday for it.”</p>
<p>Yesterday was when Shido had demanded more results. “I think,” he says, gently as though in an attempt to not startle her, “she was probably a little stressed yesterday. There was trouble at work.”</p>
<p>Futaba nods, but Goro can already notice tears pooling down her cheeks. <em>Isshiki-san knows that Futaba-chan is hurting</em>, he realises as he reminds himself that this is still technically only a cognition of her.</p>
<p>“You . . . you gotta go get out of here,” she says, not meeting his eyes. “Before Mom comes home and yells at you too.”</p>
<p>Goro knows she’s right—Isshiki can’t be far behind now, but . . .</p>
<p>“Before I leave,” he says, fumbling around his pocket, “do you know anything about this?” He pulls out the coin, the source of the distortion, and puts it into Futaba’s hands.</p>
<p>She stares at it for a moment. “It’s you.”</p>
<p><em>So I was right—this </em>is<em> her cognition of me.</em></p>
<p>“Look on the other side.”</p>
<p>Futaba flips it over in her hands, revealing the side embossed with her own face, and her eyes widen. “That’s so <em>weird</em>,” she mumbles, lifting the coin closer to her eyes and peering intently at it. “What does this mean . . . ?”</p>
<p>Goro glances outside the window. The storm’s spreading, and at this point it’s nearly at the mansion, meaning Isshiki isn’t far behind. “Futaba-chan,” he cautions her, but she doesn’t seem to be listening.</p>
<p>“Uh, Goro?” she asks, “What’s a justice lion child? Wait, that says . . . justice Shido?”</p>
<p>Goro feels like all the air’s been knocked out from him again. “Masayoshi Shido,” he says numbly. “Where did you—”</p>
<p>“On the side,” she says, giving him the coin again. She’s right—engraved into the border of the rim is the name <em>Masayoshi Shido</em>. Goro inhales sharply.</p>
<p>He recalls the uncomfortably familiar look on Isshiki’s face whenever Shido came in to check on the research. <em>“Do you know what I had to offer that rotten man, so many years ago?”</em></p>
<p>It clicks into place, and Goro finds himself staring in simultaneous awe and horror at the cognitive Futaba. <em>That means she’s . . .</em></p>
<p>“You gotta go!” she yells as thunder booms.</p>
<p>Goro nods, leaving the house from the windows on the other side. He feels another inexplicable Dia revitalise him as he bolts towards the forest’s entrance, not stopping until he can feel the familiar distortions wrap around him as he leaves the Metaverse.</p>
<hr/>
<p>When he opens his eyes in the lab, Goro can immediately tell that something’s off.</p>
<p>Isshiki’s still in her stool, but her gaze is hard and she doesn’t look at him. “You—may leave.” Her voice is stilted, unemotional. “We’ll discuss the data—at—a later time. You recovered the core, didn’t you.”</p>
<p>Goro nods.</p>
<p>“Excellent.” Isshiki still doesn’t look at him as she removes the electrodes, stands up, takes her handbag, and leaves the room.</p>
<p>Goro blinks owlishly in her direction. <em>What did taking that core do . . . ?</em> Immediately, Goro pulls out the phone with the MetaNav. “Wakaba Isshiki, research laboratory, forest kingdom.”</p>
<p>“<em>The destination has been deleted.</em>”</p>
<p><em>It must be because the core of the distortion was removed. </em>Goro quickly pats down his pockets, finding them empty, then rushes to the bag that the things he brings back from the Metaverse usually materialises in.</p>
<p>Isshiki doesn’t know about this, either—that whenever he takes something out from the Metaverse, it usually appears among his possessions much later in a slightly different form. It’s the only way he can possibly expect to amass his own money without Isshiki knowing about it.</p>
<p>Inside the bag are two things to note: one, the amassment of jewels he’d taken from the well, and two, a thick stack of files. <em>So the jewels didn’t change form, but the coin did . . . ?</em></p>
<p>Goro doesn’t bother taking any of them out now. Instead, he heads straight towards his room in the facility, not pausing for even a moment until he had slammed the door shut behind him.</p>
<p>A hiss sounds from behind his bed, and Goro freezes, watching in awe as a <em>cat</em> stalks out haughtily from behind it.</p>
<p>“You—you’re the cat from Isshiki-san’s . . .”</p>
<p>The cat meows in a manner that seems to be almost smug, flicking its tail as its ear twitches in what seems to be acknowledgement. It looks directly at him, then at the bag, as though to remind him what he came to do.</p>
<p>“Smart cat,” Goro says, still bewildered as the cat purrs, but he quickly empties the contents of his bag onto his bed. The jewels are quickly sorted and stuffed into a box so he can sell them later, perhaps in Shinjuku or Kichijoji, and he immediately dumps the set of files onto his bed.</p>
<p>There are two separate folders within the file: one being extremely thick with a number of partitions, and the other being barely fifteen or so pages long.</p>
<p>Goro takes the big one out first, of course. Right in the front, on the first partition, is what appears to be a profile of him. It includes a passport of him, his height, weight, age, and measurements from when he’d first come here and what they were at his last appointment. Below that, his birthday, blood type, and—</p>
<p>Goro’s blood runs cold.</p>
<p> </p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Mother: Mitsuko Akechi<br/>Father: Masayoshi Shido<br/>Confirmed by subject’s blood test results.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>Goro lowers the file. <em>How did Isshiki-san get . . . ? Did she ever suspect—does Shido—no, he can’t possibly—</em></p>
<p>He breathes out a sigh of relief as he reads the next sentence: <em>None of the aforementioned participants have been made aware of this.</em> So Isshiki doesn’t know that <em>Goro</em> knows that Shido is his father.</p>
<p>Goro relaxes as the cat jumps up onto the bed next to him, peering at the sheet of paper.</p>
<p>“Cats can’t read,” he tells the cat, who meows indignantly, butting its head against Goro’s side. “You’re . . . a lot more docile than the strays that used to come by . . .” he murmurs, slowly reaching to touch the cat’s head.</p>
<p>If this cat was like one of the strays that Goro used to try to befriend, it would have either backed away or stayed still. This one, however, pushes its head into Goro’s hand on its own.</p>
<p>“You’re so <em>soft</em>,” Goro marvels, and the cat purrs, before promptly redirecting its attention to the folders, reminding Goro to do the same.</p>
<p>The rest of the first segment is just Goro’s personal information—the orphanage he was last in, a few of the identities of the awful foster families who’d taken him in for brief periods of time, and the like. The next few segments contain documentation of his findings from the Metaverse, something that can easily be skimmed through at a later date.</p>
<p>He picks up the second, much smaller folder, reading the name on the front: <em>Futaba Isshiki</em>. The first page is almost identical to Goro’s, with the exception of various sticky notes poking out from the entirety of the folder.</p>
<p>Goro ignores the notes, his eyes immediately jumping to the one thing that would confirm his suspicions:</p>
<p> </p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Mother: Wakaba Isshiki<br/>Father: Masayoshi Shido<br/>Confirmed by subject’s blood test results, mother’s testimony.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>Goro exhales deeply. <em>So I was right after all. I have . . . a half-sister.</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>yes I'm a sucker for futago siblings if every other fic didn't already give that away</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Blessings and Curses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wakaba Isshiki's passing means two very different things for two not-very-different people.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>⚠️ Content Warning: Goro has a mild panic attack near the end of the chapter, and throws up, so please be mindful if that's something that upsets you! ⚠️</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>". . . ook on . . . er si . . .”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Futaba strains her ears, trying to figure out what the voice is saying to her. “I can’t hear you!” she yells. “Come closer or something!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Then, a more familiar voice speaks, but it’s equally distant: “ . . . so weird . . . mean . . .”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I still can’t hear you, okay? Whatever you wanna say to me, come closer and say it!” she shouts, stomping her foot. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Futaba-chan . . .” the first voice says, this time clearer, but still somewhat muffled. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“. . . stice . . . ild . . . says . . . do?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“. . . asa . . . i . . .”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I can’t understand what you’re saying!” she huffs again into the darkness, when—</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>There’s a boy that looks a bit older than her, wearing what looks like a white and red marching band outfit. Looking up—wow, he’s tall—he has wide red-brown eyes that are almost obscured from her sight by a red mask that Futaba can only describe as the lovechild of a domino and plague doctor mask. He also has long-ish brown hair that looks pretty soft. </em>
</p>
<p>You look like you’re meant to be some kind of otome game character<em>, she tries to say, but instead, what comes out of her mouth is, “</em>You gotta go!<em>” as she pushes him out the window. Weird.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>She hopes he’s still alive after that. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>There’s a crackle of thunder then, and a tall figure that looks like some kind of giant fairy storms into the . . . </em>
</p>
<p><em>Wait, where </em>is<em> she, anyway?</em></p>
<p>
  <em>A cursory glance around tells her that she’s in some kind of mansion, and judging by what she’s wearing, she’s probably one of its inhabitants. Behind her, a pair of wings seem to flutter—her own, apparently?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>This is so weird.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Anyway, right, back to the giant fairy (that was probably the most pressing concern). It’s really huge, and seems to catch sight of her immediately. “Futaba,” the fairy—it’s a she, Futaba thinks—hisses, drawing closer, and—</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Mom?!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Where did he go, Futaba?” Wakaba asks in a voice that commands discipline. It’s not a voice that Futaba normally hears often. “Answer me!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I don’t—! Who are you talking about?” Futaba asks, bewildered. Does she mean the band boy whom she just pushed out the window?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“The Conquestor,” Wakaba says impatiently, and Futaba has absolutely no idea who that’s supposed to be. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“The what now?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Wakaba just sighs. “Never mind. So he didn’t come here, but . . .” she freezes. “He better not leave or this world will be—” She doesn’t bother finishing her sentence before flying back out the door she came through. </em>
</p>
<p><em>“Is this ‘Conquestor’ guy gonna destroy the world or something?” Futaba wonders aloud. “If he is that masked guy, is he evil? Why is Mom a fairy, anyway? Wait, why am </em>I<em> a fairy?!”</em></p>
<p>
  <em>But before she can get an answer, the floor beneath her feet begins to crumble.</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>Futaba Isshiki bolts awake.</p>
<p><em>Talk about a weird dream . . .</em> she thinks, rubbing her eyes as the images already begin to fade. “I’m hungry,” she says to no one in particular, stretching as she gets out of bed.</p>
<p>“Moooom, I want curry!” she calls, trudging down the stairs as she rubs the sleep from her eyes. “And you said you’d think about that vacation, right?”</p>
<p>Wakaba doesn’t respond.</p>
<p>“Mom?”</p>
<p>Wakaba glances over her neck at Futaba from her spot in the living room. “Eat cereal today,” she says blankly, stuffing folders into her bag. “I have to get to the lab. He’s going to—”</p>
<p>“Who’s gonna do what?” Futaba asks. “Is it really more important than breakfast?” she whines. “I gotta tell you all about my dream! You were in it and you were, like, some kind of fairy! I think I was a fairy too, but you were, like, <em>huge</em>, and I think your eyes were all yellow-y!”</p>
<p>Wakaba freezes. “You . . . what? That means these results . . .” Immediately, she pulls out a PDA and opens an email from someone. Peering closer, all Futaba can see of the name is “G-something something-chi”. Wakaba, however, clearly doesn’t read the email, but instead sends one across as a reply to it. “I need to leave immediately, Futaba. Get some cereal for breakfast.”</p>
<p>“Mom, wait, at least <em>listen</em>—”</p>
<p>“Not <em>now</em>, Futaba! I’m too busy right now. I need to finish my cognitive research as soon as possible.”</p>
<p>Anger flares up in Futaba. “Why do you keep <em>ignoring</em> me whenever I try to talk to you?! You’re barely even home at the same time anymore! Is your research more important to you than me?! Is that why you don’t want to talk to me anymore?!”</p>
<p>Wakaba turns on her heel, and some part of Futaba feels some relief that at least now she’s <em>looking</em> at her. “<em>Futaba</em>.”</p>
<p>Futaba stands her ground, staring at her mother.</p>
<p>“If you’re going to be so selfish, I want none of it. You need to understand that I’m busy, young lady, and think about what you can do for yourself instead of constantly nagging at me!”</p>
<p>Futaba flinches, already feeling tears start to sting her eyes. “Mom . . .”</p>
<p>Wakaba sighs, kneeling down, before tucking a lock of hair behind Futaba’s ear. “My research is almost over. Once it’s finished, we can go wherever you like.” She sighs. “I’m sorry I’ve left you alone for so long, Futaba. Please try to understand, though. This research is really important. I need to complete it, even if it costs me my <em>life</em>.”</p>
<p>There’s an undertone in there somewhere that makes Futaba shiver, but Wakaba smiles gently at her, so . . .</p>
<p><em>It’ll be okay</em>, Futaba thinks. <em>Just a little longer.</em></p>
<p>“Okay, Mom,” she says quietly, hugging her. “You better hurry up, though!”</p>
<p>Wakaba laughs softly. “Of course.” Gently, Wakaba wipes a tear from Futaba’s face, then picks her bag up off the floor, before turning away and leaving the house.</p>
<p>Futaba follows her to the door. “Come home quickly, okay?”</p>
<p>Wakaba smiles at her one last time—</p>
<p>And then, everything goes wrong.</p>
<p>Something in Wakaba’s eyes fades and deadens; her expression slackens instantly. Her eyes lose focus and she stumbles.</p>
<p>As Futaba tries to reach out to her, there’s a sickening crash and a subsequent crunching sound, and red blooms over the pavement.</p>
<p>Futaba’s voice barely leaves her throat. “<em>Mom</em> . . . ?”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Shido folds his arms over his chest. “Care to explain this, Akechi?”</p>
<p>Goro inhales slowly, keeping his posture straight. “What do you mean, sir?”</p>
<p>Shido scoffs. “Don’t play dumb with me. Wakaba Isshiki’s mental shutdown. Explain yourself now. This better not be some childish act of <em>rebellion</em>.” The fact that Shido can think of rendering a person catatonic as a “rebellious act” speaks volumes for his value of life. “After all, you know what happens should you cross me.”</p>
<p><em>I’d rather put you up on a cross</em>, Goro thinks, then stamps down the thought. “Of course, sir. From what I gathered from her Palace, there were large amounts of information that she was keeping from you. I went over some of it, and it appears that a significant number of these results can be used in your favour.”</p>
<p>“Continue,” Shido says, a perfect picture of feigned indifference. Goro doesn’t miss Shido’s tell of interest—he has the same one; a small quirk of the right eyebrow. Goro’s learnt to suppress it now.</p>
<p>“Of course. Now that Isshiki-san is no longer an obstacle,” Goro says, choosing his words carefully to engineer the correct effect, “I can completely offer my services to you with regards to the psychotic breakdowns.”</p>
<p>“You raise quite a good point with that. I suppose it wouldn’t be too big of a deal to boost my career and chances of getting elected with a few scandals.”</p>
<p><em>I hope you fall off a podium and that shiny bald head of yours splatters like an egg.</em> “That’s quite the . . . proactive idea,” Goro says tentatively, not offering his opinion on the matter.</p>
<p>“Remember this, Akechi. Unless you’re proactive, you can’t get anywhere in the world of politics. Just look at that bumbling fool Okumura; he’s been attempting to break into it for years now.”</p>
<p>“The CEO of Big Bang Burger?” Goro asks, quickly tacking on a “sir” at the end, just to be safe.</p>
<p>“What other Okumura would I mean? Regardless, his funding might prove to be quite useful sometime in the future. Do keep an eye on him, Akechi.”</p>
<p>Goro nods, “Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>Shido turns around to face Goro again. “So, Akechi, is there any other information you have for me, or are you just dawdling?”</p>
<p>“You have quite the keen eye, sir,” Goro says with feigned sheepishness, before extricating a manila folder from the confines of the bag he’d brought with him. “I thought you might appreciate the refined and more accurate versions of Isshiki-sa— of Isshiki’s research directly from the Palace itself.”</p>
<p>Shido grins widely at this, eyeing the folder like it’s a hunk of meat and he’s a wolf that hasn’t eaten in days. “<em>Excellent</em> work, Akechi.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, sir. I hope the information within it can prove to be quite fruitful for you. One of the many things she kept from you was speculation as to why there were Shadows within the realm where the collective unconscious materialises did not seem to be present within it.”</p>
<p>“And what, pray tell, would that be, Akechi?”</p>
<p>Goro raises a gloved hand. “Mass cognition. That realm represents the cognition of the masses. Isshiki believes— believed that the primary reason for the lack of human Shadows within are a testament to the seeker’s lack of prevalence within the cognition of the general public.”</p>
<p>“Is that so,” Shido says, seating himself at his desk and steepling his fingers. “And what do <em>you</em> believe, Akechi?”</p>
<p>Goro spares a fraction of second to feel relieved that Shido took the bait. “I believe,” he says slowly, deliberately, “that the realm itself is not revealing itself in its entirety. Where Isshiki assumed that the Shadows would simply not show themselves, I believe that they are present, albeit in an area that remains inaccessible to me due to the fact that I do not exist within the cognition of as many people.”</p>
<p>“I see,” Shido says, prompting Goro to continue.</p>
<p>“However, were that to change . . . I believe that I would be able to access greater depths of public cognition.” This, he’s sure is a fact. The first time Goro had reached the wall in Mementos, Robin Hood had sensed that it ran deeper—moreso than his navigational capacities could have fully reached. “Besides, my speculation is quite strongly backed up by Isshiki’s own conclusions.”</p>
<p>Shido taps his fingers on the table. “Well?”</p>
<p><em>He’s testing me.</em> “I was thinking, sir,” he says smoothly, “that perhaps those that would wish to hinder you would be deeper within the collective unconscious. From what I’ve gathered, the more distorted an individual is, the deeper within they reside. If I truly am to assist you in achieving your goal”—Goro’s careful to choose words that keep him from sounding like he’s working <em>for</em> Shido—“then I believe that the people whom you would wish to target would be inaccessible to me, lest my standing within society change.”</p>
<p>Shido chuckles. “Your boldness, Akechi,” he says, swirling around a drink—when had he gotten that?—in his hand, “is surprisingly commendable.”</p>
<p>“Pardon me?”</p>
<p>There’s a glitter in Shido’s eyes as he explains. “You’re not afraid to ask for what you want. You’re a go-getter, is what I mean. Of course, only those who can reach out for what they want will be able to get it. All else will be crushed underfoot by the strong.”</p>
<p>Goro wants to spit on Shido’s shiny leather shoes. <em>What about the people who were never given the chance to even stand up? Of course, he doesn’t care—it’s the same reason that he left her . . .</em> “Of course, sir.” Goro smiles pleasantly. “Only a true leader can ever take charge.”</p>
<p>“So, how do you propose you become famous, Akechi? Fame is a fickle thing, after all. All it takes is one scandal and you’re ruined, after all.” <em>He really just shoved ‘subtlety’ up his own ass.</em></p>
<p>“I was thinking,” Goro says, a hand falling onto his chin, “something which would allow me to take control of the way the information is revealed to the public and handled legally. In addition to that, you mentioned that the current director of the police’s Special Investigations Unit could be . . . <em>removed</em> soon.” He pauses to look at Shido, who raises an eyebrow in appraisal. “Shido-san, have you heard of the Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane?”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Wakaba Isshiki, it turns out, had been hiding a <em>lot</em> from not just Shido, but Goro as well. Outside of Shido’s preparations for him to enter the public eye, Goro had spent most of his time poring over Isshiki’s research and the additional, private notes she’d made building up on it. The rest of his time had been spent learning how to look after the cat (which he had named <em>Mitsuhide</em>).</p>
<p>Shido had also arranged for him to begin attending high school from the next semester, roughly a third of the way through the school year. He had also decided that Goro would have an apartment rented, which Shido would pay for. <em>Consider it an act of thanks for your services</em>, he’d said at the time. Goro knew that it was just another aspect of his life that Shido would have control over, but at the very least, it meant he wouldn’t be living on the streets again. After all, he had only been allowed to stay at the research facility due to Isshiki’s research programme.</p>
<p>Which was how Goro had found himself in a neatly furnished house on the sixth floor in an apartment complex near Kichijoji station. <em>It wouldn’t do for a future celebrity to live in some alleyway</em>, Shido had pointed out. The rent on the place was probably expensive. Goro can’t help but be awed by its condition; nothing like the small studio apartment he’d shared with his mother, and a far cry from the sterile white room he’d had in Isshiki’s facility.</p>
<p>Goro had also managed to land himself a scholarship at a fairly renowned high school, thanks to the books and school syllabi that Isshiki had provided for him. Goro had, of course, taken a great interest in learning them. He likes learning things, likes <em>knowing</em> things. Knowing things gives him the ability to account for them with his plans.</p>
<p>Which is why he’s currently looking at a second-year high school textbook for an accelerated math class, working on asymptotic functions and identifying their domains and ranges. <em>This isn’t too difficult</em>, he thinks, pleased with himself as Mitsuhide jumps onto the desk, meowing loudly.</p>
<p>“You just had lunch,” Goro sighs, staring at the cat.</p>
<p>Mitsuhide meows again, more loudly.</p>
<p>“Oh, for crying out loud,” Goro grumbles, getting to the refrigerator—he has an actual <em>refrigerator</em> now—to get the cat a slice of cheese. “I don’t know <em>why</em> you even like cheese so much. You’re not supposed to eat too much of it, you know.”</p>
<p>Mitsuhide just meows impatiently, paws resting on Goro’s leg as if in an attempt to climb him. “I’d like to see <em>you</em> get interrupted from your homework and appreciate it,” Goro mutters under his breath, crouching down and tearing the slice of cheese into bite size pieces for Mitsuhide to eat out of his hand from. The cat rewards him with a gentle headbutt.</p>
<p>“Good boy. Now, let me get back to—”</p>
<p>And Goro’s phone rings, preventing any plans of continuing his math work.</p>
<p>“<em>Akechi.</em>” It’s Shido, and Goro straightens immediately.</p>
<p>“Yes, sir?”</p>
<p>“<em>Isshiki’s accepting visitors. See if you can get any information from her about that world. If not, she will be taken care of accordingly.</em>”</p>
<p>“Understood, sir.”</p>
<p>“<em>Good. After that, come to my office. There’s another matter we must discuss, and several individuals you should acquaint yourself with.</em>”</p>
<p>“Noted. I’ll go immediately. Sir, if you could send me the address . . .”</p>
<p>“<em>That won’t be necessary. I’ll send someone to pick you up from your house.</em>” The call ends before Goro can even give an affirmation.</p>
<p>“Ugh.” Goro frowns, quickly heading to his closet to change into something more presentable than the ratty Featherman hoodie he’s wearing, picking out a white dress shirt and a black argyle sweater.</p>
<p>All clothes he’s bought with Shido’s money to appear more mature and proper. Not like an orphan who ran away and survived on nothing but stolen or discarded scraps for years.</p>
<p>Goro quickly goes to wash his face in the bathroom as well, frowning at what looks like a pimple on the underside of his chin. He scowls for a moment, before bursting the unwelcome blemish and squishing out the pus and blood from it with his nails.</p>
<p><em>If I’m going to be a public figure, I’ll probably need better skincare products . . .</em> Goro sighs, realising he’ll probably need to start pilfering things in the Metaverse and threatening Shadows into giving him money. He’s already spent most of the money he got from selling Isshiki’s jewels on cat care and vet bills for Mitsuhide, and he doesn’t want to ask Shido for something else so soon after getting his own apartment. He refuses to become wholly reliant on him.</p>
<p>Goro shakes his head as the cat saunters into the bathroom. “Absolutely <em>not</em>,” he says, lifting the fluffy bundle up and unceremoniously dumping him on the bed. “Bathrooms are not for cats unless they want baths.”</p>
<p>Predictably, Mitsuhide’s ears flatten at the dreaded b-word.</p>
<p>“Now, be a good boy and wait quietly for me to come back, okay? Shido can’t find out about you, ever.”</p>
<p>Mitsuhide meows, which Goro takes as an agreement.</p>
<p>“Good boy,” Goro says, dropping a light kiss on the cat’s soft forehead, just as his doorbell rings. Quickly, he slips on the new, polished leather shoes he just bought, and tucks his phone and wallet into his pocket, making sure to grab his house key on the way out.</p>
<p>“Goro Akechi?” the man—driver?—asks, and Goro smiles politely; the sweet, unassuming smile he’s spent hours practicing in the mirror.</p>
<p>“That would be me, thank you,” he says, following him to the fancy car waiting outside. Goro’s stomach flips at the extravagance, something bitter inside him burning at the luxurious ride in front of him, when he remembers so clearly how he would have to walk to school in fifth-hand sneakers as his mother apologised profusely, promising to save up for better shoes for him.</p>
<p>He spends the majority of the car ride indulging in the idea of Shido begging for forgiveness on the ground when he finally gets what’s coming to him, and Goro would leave him there, breaking Masayoshi Shido just as much as Shido had broken him.</p>
<p>It’s rather satisfying, he finds.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Isshiki’s eyes are closed when Goro sees her.</p>
<p>Something about it feels surreal—he’s always so used to seeing her with her glasses on, eyes sharp and all seeing. For her to be without them, for that focus and drive to not be there . . .</p>
<p>Goro almost shudders.</p>
<p>He isn’t really sure what he can say to her; what he <em>should</em> say to her. Surely, he ought to apologise, but . . .</p>
<p>
  <em>“You really think that you could pull shit like this and get away with it?”</em>
</p>
<p>. . . why should he apologise for something he doesns’t feel sorry for?</p>
<p>Vaguely, he’s aware that perhaps he <em>shouldn’t</em> be so . . . unfettered by Isshiki’s death, but more than anything else, he feels like there was a vulture on his shoulder that’s now finally left after hanging around for months, waiting for him to die so it could feast.</p>
<p>This time, he actually shudders, and pulls his gloves on tighter in the chilly hospital room.</p>
<p>He wishes Mitsuhide was here. As much of a brat the cat is, he’s excellent at making Goro feel comfortable—to the point where the comfort that Mitsuhide offers is a luxury that feels too rare; too precious to waste.</p>
<p>Goro sighs, pulling out some of the sticky notes Isshiki’s Shadow had made from a side pocket of his bag.</p>
<p>As of now, Goro’s sorted and categorised the sticky notes by whether they concern him or Isshiki’s daughter; what they talk about with regards to the Metaverse, research, and Personas; and the one set that seems to be a shopping list featuring several Featherman figures and where to get them.</p>
<p>That one, Goro tucks safely into his pocket.</p>
<p>Goro reads through the notes in near-silence, sitting on the stool by Isshiki’s bed, and now he can’t help but notice in the back of his mind that this time, the positions are reversed; Goro’s overseeing Isshiki, who’s in a state of unconscious as he monitors her activity.</p>
<p>“Isshiki-san,” he says quietly, looking up from one of the notes, not even sure if she can hear him in this state, “what were you planning, exactly . . . ? From what it looks like—”</p>
<p>“Mom!” There’s a loud yell as the hospital door is thrown open, with none other than Futaba Isshiki bursting into the room with tears streaming down her face. “<em>Mom . . .</em>” she whispers this time, freezing in shock. “This can’t be real . . .”</p>
<p>—<em>Mama! Mama, please wake up! This is a joke, right, Mama . . . ? Mama, please tell me it’s a silly prank—</em></p>
<p>All too suddenly, Goro feels sick.</p>
<p>Futaba, he realises, is no longer sobbing. She’s staring at Isshiki—at her <em>mother</em>—with a completely stricken expression on her face. “You promised . . .” Futaba mumbles quietly, then louder, “You <em>promised</em> this would all be over soon! You said— you said that we could finally— finally be a family again!” her voice breaks, and Goro barely hears the last few words Futaba says:</p>
<p>“<em>You promised it would just be a little longer!</em>”</p>
<p>
  <em>—You promised you wouldn’t leave me alone—</em>
</p>
<p>Goro stands up too abruptly, too suddenly—he can feel himself dizzying slightly from it, but it doesn’t matter, he needs to get <em>out</em> before it becomes <em>too much</em>—</p>
<p>“Huh, aren’t you—” Goro’s head snaps up to see a man that looks vaguely familiar, having stopped by the facility to meet with Isshiki and collect the results: Sojiro Sakura. In Isshiki’s Palace, he’d taken the role as the forest’s guardian. Isshiki, at least, had liked him a lot, and Goro’s sure the feeling was mutual.</p>
<p>“Pardon me,” Goro mumbles quietly, picking up his bag and sidestepping out of the room, ignoring how Futaba stares at him in something like vague recognition.</p>
<p>Goro prays that Isshiki never told her about him as he closes the hospital room’s door behind him, before making a break for the nearest bathroom and locking himself inside a stall.</p>
<p>Finally, he takes a deep breath, leaning against the door and slipping to the floor, holding his head in his hands.</p>
<p>He hadn’t been prepared to meet Futaba Isshiki here. Not right after he’d effectively been the one to put her in the hospital. Not right after finding out she’s his <em>sister</em>.</p>
<p>His hands shake as he pulls hard on his hair in an attempt to ground himself. <em>Not here, not here, can’t break here, stay calm, stay calm . . .</em></p>
<p>Goro’s mind rewinds to the horrified expression on Futaba’s face, locking on the brightness of the tears in her eyes. <em>You did that to her, you, you, you, you. Like you did it to yourself. Goro Akechi, Mother-Killer.</em></p>
<p>“Shido’s—fault,” he breathes hoarsely, denial coming up in waves. “I didn’t—wasn’t gonna—”</p>
<p>
  <em>Orphaned the poor girl just as you did yourself.</em>
</p>
<p>“<em>No</em>—”</p>
<p>Goro’s phone chimes with a text:</p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <strong>[PRIVATE NUMBER]</strong>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>13:26</em>
  </p>
  <p>Akechi</p>
  <p>Is Isshiki responsive?</p>
</blockquote><p>
  <em>Shido.</em>
</p>
<p>Hands shaking, Goro types out his response, grateful for the automatic punctuation and correction—without it, he’s sure his texts would be completely illegible.</p>
<p>He can’t afford to show Shido weakness.</p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>No, sir.</p>
  <p>She appears to be completely<br/>comatose.</p>
  <p>The nurses said she shows no <br/>immediate signs of waking up.</p>
  <p>Useless bitch.</p>
  <p>Very well I’ll give the order <br/>to pull the plug on her.</p>
  <p>I cannot afford for her prying to pull me down.</p>
</blockquote><p>The chat history deletes itself automatically.</p>
<p>
  <em>See? She’s really going to die now, and it’s all~ your~ fault~</em>
</p>
<p>Unable to deny it any further, Goro drops his phone, hands returning to pull at his hair even harder.</p>
<p>He barely has the presence of mind to lean forward before throwing up in the toilet bowl.</p>
<p>Half an hour later, Goro washes his face, scrubbing away tear stains like it’s dried marker ink; getting rid of any leftover emotion that could be potentially damning evidence, then wipes his mouth and smiles like he’s painting it on his face.</p>
<p>This time, when he locks eyes with Futaba Isshiki from across the hall, he feels nothing.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>boy do I love figuring out Goro's coping mechanisms</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Masks and Deception</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Goro makes an unlikely friend at the police station, and another at school.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”</p>
<p>The voice Goro hears behind him is entirely unfamiliar—feminine, cold, detached, and commanding authority.</p>
<p>Instinctively, Goro straightens before turning around to face the woman who stands behind him. <em>She’s tall</em>—it’s the first thing Goro notices about her, standing tall and straight, almost towering above him.</p>
<p>She has <em>presence</em>; overwhelmingly so. As much as Goro’s been finding himself garnering bits of attention lately as a minor aid to police investigations, the woman who stands firm in front of him has a certain gravity to her, aided by sharpness in her posture and appearance. Long, quicksilver hair cascades down her back, framing her face <em>just</em> in the right manner to accentuate her piercing red eyes.</p>
<p>Goro feels a compulsive urge to be respectful. Not polite, per se, but straightforward and upfront. She doesn’t seem like the kind who would appreciate pleasantries or his usual buttery smoothness.</p>
<p>“My name is Goro Akechi. I’m relatively new around here, and I came to drop off some documents regarding the incident regarding the former director.” Goro keeps his tone quiet, sympathetic towards the man.</p>
<p>He doesn’t think of the wild look in his Shadow’s eyes when Loki drove him berserk.</p>
<p>“So you know about that case?” she asks, clinical, but noticeably more inclined to talk to him.</p>
<p>“I investigated it myself,” Goro says, injecting the vaguest hint of pride into his tone, daring to meet the woman’s eyes. “I happened to be passing by on the day of the incident, and went in the opposite direction he did,” Goro clarifies. “There were traces of vaguely suspicious substances in both his suitcase and a nearby alley, suggesting drug abuse or trafficking. I merely called the police to report it, along with his collapse, and they requested my help with additional matters.”</p>
<p>The woman gives him a once over, something along the lines of appraisal. “How old are you?”</p>
<p><em>Of course, the age issue. But I suppose that’s a part of what Shirogane-san must have faced too . . .</em> He smiles, this time using the disarming smile he keeps tucked away until he knows he’s about to break through someone’s exterior. “I turned sixteen about a week ago,” he says truthfully.</p>
<p>Something flashes in her eyes as she extends a hand—a Western greeting, not a Japanese one. <em>Huh</em>, Goro thinks. “I’m Sae Niijima, a prosecutor here. I look forward to working with you, Akechi-kun.” There’s still something he can’t quite read about her.</p>
<p>Sae Niijima, Goro decides, is an extremely interesting person.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Two days later, he finds himself seated at a chair in an expensive sushi restaurant with Niijima.</p>
<p>“Niijima-san,” he starts, before she waves a hand at him.</p>
<p>“Sae is fine,” she says blandly, before passing him a menu.</p>
<p>Goro fiddles with his top button. It’s not that he’s unused to upscale places, after having spent so much time around Shido lately, but it’s the first time that it’s been with one other person and he isn’t just tagging along. He isn’t particularly unused to high quality food on the rare occasions that he eats it during meetings with Shido.</p>
<p>No, this time, <em>Goro Akechi</em> has been invited to an upscale sushi restaurant.</p>
<p>“You mentioned it was your birthday recently,” Nii— <em>Sae</em> says by means of explanation. “I also thought you looked rather underweight.”</p>
<p>Goro winces—she’s right, of course. Goro doesn’t know how to cook, and it’s impossible to eat food outside every night with his careful allowance from Shido. Most of the money he gets from Shadows goes towards Mitsuhide’s essentials and Goro’s household items, too. He just hasn’t had the time or money to worry about regular proper meals.</p>
<p>So he doesn’t quite know how to respond to that.</p>
<p>Sae, at least, does not let his speechlessness remain a problem. “Are your parents giving you enough to eat? You’re a teenage boy, after all, so it makes sense you would eat more.”</p>
<p>There’s something akin to—warmth? It seems like warmth—in Sae’s eyes as she looks at him with concern</p>
<p>
  <em>—warm rust flickers, asking silently if he’s still hungry—</em>
</p>
<p>that was almost motherly in nature.</p>
<p>Goro swallows thickly, before saying, “I’m quite alright.” He doesn’t say that his only living parent pays his rent and occasionally invites him as a plus one to dinners with CEOs and other fascist figureheads. He also doesn’t say that the parent who cared about him wasn’t able to provide enough food to feed them both anyway.</p>
<p>Sae clearly doesn’t believe him, but she lets the issue go.</p>
<p>“Sae-san,” Goro says this time, but now he’s not really sure what to follow it up with since she’s already answered his earlier question. Instead, he says, “thank you.”</p>
<p>And for the first time in a while, he means it.</p>
<p>Sae smiles a little bit at that, and for a split second, Goro can’t help but feel a rush—it’s almost like he’s actually being cared about. “You know,” Sae says, looking at him, “you remind me a little bit of my younger sister.”</p>
<p>Distantly, Goro can almost hear glass shattering. Of course— of <em>course</em> the smile wasn’t for him; of <em>course</em> she wasn’t doing this for <em>Goro</em>. She’s only just <em>met</em> him, she’s doing it for her <em>sister</em>.</p>
<p>Goro can’t believe he let himself be so foolish—he’d gotten bigheaded with the praise from Isshiki, who’d just wanted him for her research results—and now he’s almost done it again.</p>
<p><em>I have to maintain a professional distance from her</em>, Goro thinks darkly, immediately putting up a mental barrier up in front of Sae. <em>I’m not her . . . I’m not her little sister.</em></p>
<p>(In the back of his mind, Goro can’t help wondering if maybe he could have done something good for his own sister, had things worked out differently.)</p>
<p>“Is that so.” Goro’s voice is strained as he replies to Sae, realising a moment too late that she’s waiting for a response.</p>
<p>Thankfully, she doesn’t seem to notice as she brushes his stiffness off. “She’s about your age; I think you two would get along.”</p>
<p>Oh, please. Goro can’t even get along with himself, let alone someone <em>like</em> him.</p>
<p>“I see,” Goro says instead. “Do give her my regards, then.”</p>
<p>Thankfully, a plate of sushi appears before him, halting the stilted, one-sided conversation. Goro holds up a piece of the sushi—he’s not sure what it’s even called—with his chopsticks, peering intently at it.</p>
<p>“It’s my first time having sushi,” he admits quietly, more to himself than to Sae. Even Shido hasn’t taken him somewhere for sushi—he preferred to invite Goro places where he could flaunt his wealth and control, such as expensive banquets and buffets or high-class restaurants meant for large gatherings.</p>
<p>Sae looks almost surprised. “Really? You haven’t even had conveyor belt ones?”</p>
<p>Goro freezes. He wasn’t sure whether or not he should have expected a response from her, but now that he’s got one . . . “No,” he says. “We never had enough money to be able to eat out often.”</p>
<p>Mostly, Goro’s childhood had been full of steamed rice, cup ramen, and microwaveable meals, or whatever meals some of his mother’s nicer clients had brought for her.</p>
<p>Goro waits for the inevitable words of pity—pity that he absolutely <em>despises</em>—just so that he can push up the wall between him and Sae again; it’s come too close to chipping away in this conversation.</p>
<p>“In that case,” Sae says, without a shred of pity in her voice, “you have your whole life to try more food, especially since you have a job with the police force now.” She even sounds a little encouraging. “The sushi in your chopsticks now—that’s a California <em>uramaki</em> roll. Funnily enough, many don’t consider it ‘real’ sushi, but it’s quite good.”</p>
<p>“I . . . see,” Goro just says. He can’t even really tell what’s in it, other than the rice and <em>nori</em>. “<em>Uramaki</em>, ‘roll inside out’ . . .”</p>
<p>Sae smiles slightly. “It’s a literal name,” she says. “Inside is avocado, cucumber, and crab, and the rice is covered in roe.”</p>
<p>“Roe?”</p>
<p>“Fish eggs.”</p>
<p>Goro lowers his chopsticks.</p>
<p>Sae, for her part, is trying hard to conceal her growing amusement. “It’s not that strange. You’ve had chicken eggs before, haven’t you?”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Goro lies. “They’re . . . eggy?”</p>
<p>Sae stares at him, eyes wide. “Oh my god. You’ve never had eggs before.”</p>
<p>Goro can’t help but huff, indignant. “Fine. I’ve never had eggs before, sue me.” He pauses, noting the irony in saying that to a <em>prosecutor</em>. “Actually, please don’t.”</p>
<p>To her credit, Sae laughs. “Just try it, Akechi-kun. It’s really not as strange as you think it is.”</p>
<p>Goro’s not sure what he’s supposed to say to that, so he wordlessly eats the sushi.</p>
<p>Sushi, Goro decides, is <em>delicious</em>.</p>
<p>Sae chuckles. “From that look, I take it you like it? Remind me to take you out for sushi again sometime.” From the corner of his eye, Goro can see Sae’s fingers twitch.</p>
<p>“I won’t forget,” Goro says, quickly reaching for another piece, this time dipping it in a little bit of soy sauce before eating it.</p>
<p>Several plates of sushi later, Goro finally caves. “Sae-san,” he says quietly, “do you like being a prosecutor?”</p>
<p>Sae looks at him quizzically. “Of course. I intend to bring criminals to justice.”</p>
<p><em>Justice</em>—that word again. That one word that he’s heard so many times in so many forms.</p>
<p>Goro has never understood what <em>justice</em> was supposed to be. When he was little, it was just the childish fantasy of making bad people atone for their sins, like he’d seen in Featherman. It was the wish that maybe the person who’d hurt his mother would experience “justice”. It was the idea that maybe Goro could serve <em>justice</em> and be a hero for someone.</p>
<p>And then Masayoshi Shido—the man whose name itself means “justice”—shattered it. “Justice” became the man who wrought to control the country. The picture-perfect example of corruption, of evil incarnate was paraded as a paragon of <em>justice</em>; was the proof that maybe justice never existed outside of fiction.</p>
<p>A dark fog fills Goro’s head, breathing Loki’s first words to him into it again: <em>How far will you go for your concept of justice? Or would you rather tear down everyone else’s? Do you fight for order, or for chaos?</em></p>
<p>Goro thinks he hates “justice”.</p>
<p>“Sae-san, then . . . what is justice to you?”</p>
<p>Sae slowly sets down her chopsticks. “Justice, huh . . . ? I suppose . . . it would be making the guilty have to pay for what they do.”</p>
<p>“The guilty . . . so, those who commit crimes.”</p>
<p>“Too many criminals who hurt the innocent go unpunished. I intend to put an end to their machinations.” There’s a steely look in her eyes and a set to her jaw that makes Goro realise that this is a motive with history.</p>
<p>Goro nods, processing this information. “It . . . sounds personal.”</p>
<p>Sae sighs. “Is it that obvious?”</p>
<p>“. . . a little,” Goro admits.</p>
<p>She closes her eyes for a moment. “My father died in the line of duty. Those responsible got off scott-free. Because of that, I have to provide for both myself and my sister, with no help. If I show any weakness at all, at work or at home, it would be the end of it for me.”</p>
<p>“And yet you told me about this?” Goro asks, prodding gently.</p>
<p>Sae looks up at him, blinks once, twice, then, “I did, didn’t I? Well, I suppose it’s just because you seem like a trustworthy enough person. You’re a good kid, you haven’t been corrupted by the people in power and you’re not illusioned by the false security that most kids your age are.”</p>
<p>Goro feels like there’s an axe in his chest, splitting him open fully. “I . . .”</p>
<p>Goro remembers Futaba Isshiki’s tear stained face, seared permanently into his brain after over a year. He remembers not even feeling disturbed.</p>
<p>In Sae’s eyes, he would be—the <em>real</em> him—would be one of those scumbags she would want to bring to justice.</p>
<p>“What about you, Akechi-kun? What is justice to you?” Sae asks, the words bringing him back to reality.</p>
<p>“. . . I don’t know,” he says. “I used to think it was about protecting the weak from the strong.” Maybe he still does, a little bit. Then, quietly enough that he thinks Sae can’t hear it, he adds, “But maybe it’s about making the strong the weak ones.”</p>
<p>Maybe the world is just a power play, and “justice” is about knocking the powerful ones off their pedestals when they start getting too big for their britches.</p>
<p>Then, a little more loudly, he says, “Though . . . if there’s one thing I can say for certain, I think it’s that the proof of your justice must remain.”</p>
<p>“Proof of justice,” Sae echoes, thoughtful.</p>
<p>
  <em>Because history is written by the victors, justice would be purely speculative . . . so long as there’s proof that you were the one who did the ‘right’ thing, then you automatically become ‘just’ in the eyes of the spectator. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But if people can feel in their hearts that it is right, maybe then . . . maybe then that is the proof of one’s justice.</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>“Alright, everyone, that’ll be all for today,” Goro’s homeroom teacher says, smiling as he closes the book.</p>
<p>Almost immediately, people start standing up, slinging their book bags over their shoulder as they leave.</p>
<p>Goro doesn’t stand up, instead pulling his unfinished literature essay out of his bag and continuing to work on it. If he goes home, he won’t be able to focus with Mitsuhide around, and he’s absolutely positive that in the library will be some drama or the other with the girls that seem to treat it like a café.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, any plans of actually getting it done are interrupted by his teacher. “Akechi-kun,” he says gently from in front of the desk.</p>
<p>Goro looks up. “Did you need something, sensei?”</p>
<p>“I was wondering whether you would be able to talk to me today. I did send you an email, but I never got a reply.”</p>
<p>“My apologies, I haven’t been able to reply to many of my emails recently,” Goro lies. He’s been carefully avoiding his teacher’s emails.</p>
<p>“I understand,” he says, “and I understand that with your job it’s a little difficult to coordinate, but high school is an important time in your life, and it is important to take some time for yourself.”</p>
<p>Goro wishes that his teacher didn’t seem so <em>understanding</em>. After all, how <em>could</em> he understand that it was so impossible for Goro to even have a single spare moment? He couldn’t possibly understand the pressure on Goro because of the Metaverse, Shido, Isshiki, Futaba, Shadows, Personas . . . none of it.</p>
<p><em>It’s not his fault, though</em>, Goro reminds himself. <em>He’s just trying to be a good teacher.</em></p>
<p>And if Goro was honest, he <em>is</em> a good teacher. He’s kind, inspirational, and involved with his students.</p>
<p>Maybe a little <em>too</em> involved for Goro’s liking.</p>
<p>“Yes, sensei,” Goro just says.</p>
<p>There’s a twinkle in his eyes. “You don’t really mean that at all,” he says knowingly, but Goro doesn’t detect any malice or exasperation in his voice.</p>
<p>Goro smiles uncomfortably. “I . . .”</p>
<p>His teacher shakes his head. “It’s alright, I understand what it’s like. But at the very least, go get yourself some lunch.” He drops what looks like a thousand yen—<em>how expensive does this man think a lunch would be?</em>—into Goro’s hands.</p>
<p>“I ate—”</p>
<p>“I saw you only eating an apple at lunchtime, Akechi-kun.”</p>
<p>Goro closes his mouth.</p>
<p>Robin hums in appreciation in the back of Goro’s mind. Goro’s been trying to ignore it since the beginning of the school year two months ago, but Robin seems to <em>really</em> like his homeroom teacher. Even <em>Loki</em> seems to find him interesting.</p>
<p>“Well, if you need to talk to me about anything at all, just let me know. I’m more knowledgeable than I look, Akechi-kun,” he smiles, patting Goro’s head lightly.</p>
<p>Goro doesn’t know how to feel about the touch. It’s been the first non-professional physical contact he’s received since . . . well, since his mother.</p>
<p>A lump forms in his throat, just as his phone beeps with a text message.</p>
<p>Goro pulls out his phone, checking the number—it’s a private one, likely untraceable. Shido, no doubt about it. Goro shoves the phone back in his pocket.</p>
<p>“Grey Pigeon?”</p>
<p>Goro can already feel heat rise to his face—his wallpaper is the main reason (aside from, obviously, Shido) he tries not to let others see his phone. “I just . . . I think he’s a neat character.”</p>
<p>The teacher just laughs a little. “Not many do. But I think he’s quite magnificently written.”</p>
<p>“He’s my favourite,” Goro says. He does not say that he can relate to Pigeon because he, too, was experimented on by a corrupt researcher who didn’t care about endangering his life.</p>
<p>He has <em>some</em> semblance of self-control, after all.</p>
<p>“Pigeon’s a very complex character,” his teacher nods.</p>
<p>“He would’ve been even better if they didn’t decide that apparently burying their gays was the best option they had.”</p>
<p><em>So much for self-control</em>, he thinks, too late.</p>
<p>“Oh, absolutely,” is what Goro hears instead of an awkward silence. “It’s similar to what they did with Condor in the first series, except they kept reviving him since they couldn’t keep a main character dead for too long.”</p>
<p>“Is Condor your favourite?” Goro asks.</p>
<p>The man’s eyes twinkle behind his silky black hair. “I used to have the first edition Black Condor mask when I was a kid. Though, my son likes the reboot’s Red Eagle.”</p>
<p>“Why Eagle? Don’t most like the original’s Red Hawk?”</p>
<p>“He likes the reboot more than the original,” he shrugs. “My husband is a Red Hawk fan, so it’s fun to watch them squabble.”</p>
<p>“Wait, your—” Goro’s interrupted by his phone buzzing again. “I . . . have to take this,” he says, politely excusing himself to check his messages.</p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <strong>Masayoshi Shido <br/></strong>
    <em>16:12</em>
  </p>
  <p>Akechi</p>
  <p>Be at my office in half an hour.</p>
  <p>Understood, sir.</p>
</blockquote><p>Beneath that, though, is another text:</p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <strong>[REDACTED NUMBER]<br/></strong>
    <em>15:58</em>
  </p>
  <p>Is this Goro Akechi?</p>
  <p>Yes. May I know who this is?</p>
  <p>coolz</p>
  <p>byee</p>
  <p>Excuse me?? <br/><sup>✘ Message not delivered. <br/>Check your connection.</sup></p>
</blockquote><p>Goro frowns, before a light hand on his shoulder brings him back to his senses. “I . . . I need to go,” he says numbly. If he leaves immediately, he can reach the Diet Building in the nick of time. “Thank you, Kurosu-sensei,” he says, quickly shoving his essay sheets into his bag and walking briskly out of the classroom.</p>
<p>As he leaves, he can barely make out the sounds of his teacher saying, “So . . . think, Chronos? Should . . . Tacchi . . .”</p>
<hr/>
<p>“Good to see you’re punctual, Akechi.” Shido sounds unimpressed.</p>
<p>Goro managed to make it in the nick of time, having biked all the way from his school campus to the Diet Building. He’d had under five minutes to rinse his face and comb his hair into something presentable, but a minute after his half hour to reach the building was up, he had stepped into Shido’s office room.</p>
<p>“Apologies for the delay, sir. I was dealing with circumstances at sch—”</p>
<p>“I don’t recall asking for your petty little excuses, Akechi. I say be there in half an hour, I expect you to do so.”</p>
<p>Goro bites his tongue, bites back the insistence that it had barely been thirty seconds past the meeting time, bites back the scowl that threatens to form. “My sincerest apologies, Shido-san,” he says, bowing deeply.</p>
<p>Shido doesn’t let up. “Do you think the real world will wait for you? That you can make excuses for tardiness and then parade on in? If you want to be in the world of adults, Akechi, you’d better start acting like one.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>“Your lack of responsibility aside,” Shido continues, “I have questions for you regarding Isshiki’s betrayal.”</p>
<p>Goro straightens. “Sir, her death was over a year ago. I don’t believe there is anything more that can be—”</p>
<p>“Why don’t you shut your mouth and listen, Akechi. Or is being a television detective getting to your head? Do you, perhaps, need a reminder of what reality is? Of what your real <em>purpose</em> is?”</p>
<p>Goro barely represses his flinch. He doesn’t dare apologise verbally.</p>
<p>“As I was <em>saying</em>,” Shido smooths down the lapels of his blazer, “Isshiki’s loose ends remain.” He throws a manila folder onto the desk. “I’ve found traces of hacking into her old network from someone within her family. Either convince them to join us or dispose of them.”</p>
<p>Goro’s tongue is heavy and sluggish in his mouth. “Yes, sir,” he says, picking up the folder as Futaba Isshiki’s face flashes in his mind. Isshiki had mentioned once that her daughter was quite technologically adept.</p>
<p>For her own sake, he hopes that it wasn’t Futaba.</p>
<p>“Oh, and Akechi? One more thing.”</p>
<p>Goro can feel his breath catch in his chest. “Yes, sir?”</p>
<p>Shido scowls, but there’s something unreadable in his eyes behind his orange glasses. “The daughter is a ‘loose end’ of my own. Tie it up for me, will you?”</p>
<p>Goro turns away with a nod of his head. “Understood, sir. She won’t interfere with your success.”</p>
<p>“Excellent work, Akechi. Despite your recent . . . mistakes, I suppose you’re quite efficient. More perceptive than some of those in the politicians’ seats. I’ll attribute this to dealing with your rising fame, but if you’re unable to manage both, then perhaps you will no longer need it.”</p>
<p>The threat isn’t even vaguely disguised.</p>
<p>“Noted, sir. I’ll ensure that no messes remain from Isshiki’s death, and if I find any information from them, I’ll be sure to update you immediately,” he says, his gloved hand fidgeting with the phone in his pocket.</p>
<p>Goro steps out of Shido’s office, walks mechanically back to where his bicycle is parked, and immediately heads home on the train, finally allowing his mind to wander away from his head.</p>
<p>Anything to not think right now.</p>
<p>By the time he reaches his apartment in Kichijoji, he folds up his bicycle, keeps it near the door, and flings the manila folder onto the empty dining table. Some of the sheets inside fall out, and he can see the names <em>Youji Isshiki</em> and <em>Futaba Isshiki</em> on the two sheets he can see, with a picture of a too-tired Futaba on the front.</p>
<p><em>I’m sorry, Futaba-chan</em>, he thinks, before closing his eyes and falling asleep on the couch. He thinks he can feel Mitsuhide curl up on top of him, meowing, but by the time he can register it, he’s too far asleep to get up.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sae and jun just want to feed the poor boy but he's not used to accepting help [sobs]</p>
<p>also if this didn't make it clear I have MASSIVE P2 brainrot and I will bring it up at every opportunity :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Hatred and Suffering</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Trauma bonding is (un)surprisingly effective.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>⚠️ Content Warning: Goro and Futaba both experience a fair share of suicide blaming in this chapter (it's not too far off from what Futaba's Palace shows in canon). ⚠️</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Youji Isshiki, Goro finds, is scum of the Earth.</p>
<p>His Shadow’s been mumbling to himself for minutes now, cased away in his own little room, chanting the word “money” again and again, cackling to himself all the while.</p>
<p>Goro slips into the darker outfit and scowls deeply as he approaches the man.</p>
<p>Isshiki’s eyes gleam immediately. “Money . . . ? Are you here to give me money?”</p>
<p>Goro pulls out his sword in response. “I’m here to ask you a few questions, actually.”</p>
<p>“Tcheh. If you don’t pay me, I won’t talk. So why don’t you compensate me for the information I’ll give you? You could sell your sword over there for easy cash.”</p>
<p>Within a fraction of a second, Goro’s standing behind the foul man, his sword pressing against his throat. “Or you could tell me what I want to hear and live instead.”</p>
<p>Isshiki, apparently, has less willpower than a pig—miles apart from his sister. “Y-yes, sir,” he whimpers.</p>
<p>“Excellent,” Goro hums. “Now, tell me about your family. All of it, if you will.”</p>
<p>Isshiki huffs. “Had a wife but she took the kids. It felt good not to have to bother with their education fees or whatever.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure they’re happier without you anyway,” Goro says blithely. “Anything else? What about your sister and niece?”</p>
<p>A snort. “Wakaba’s better off dead. At least now I can get the full brunt of the inheritance, especially since I have the kid.”</p>
<p>“So Futaba Isshiki is currently taking residence with you?” Goro asks primly, careful to avoid even the slightest sense of curiosity in his voice.</p>
<p>“Yeah, the brat’s a handful but at least she’s quiet. She used to never shut up about food—but really, she’s old enough to find her own damn food, the hell’s the point in hounding me about it?”</p>
<p>
  <em>—I’m sorry it’s not much, Goro . . . Are you still hungry? You can have my bowl of rice, if you want—</em>
</p>
<p>Goro lets loose a growl. “You want a thirteen year old girl to get her own food.”</p>
<p>“Wh-what’s the issue? Why should I have to get it? It’s a waste of money that could be better used buying me a good ol’ time with my b-buddies. I see her on that damn tablet PC Wakaba bought her all the time anyway.”</p>
<p><em>So Futaba-chan is the one who’s sneaking into the information network . . .</em> “Tell me about her. Honestly, if you will.”</p>
<p>Isshiki’s face scrunches up like plastic. “She’s a pain in the ass to have. A <em>freak</em>. Have you ever seen someone able to remember things by just looking at them? Doesn’t even let me sell the stupid tablet. Some kinda monster she is, I’m not surprised Wakaba offed herself because of the kid—”</p>
<p>
  <em>—of course Mitsuko killed herself, the shame of having the bastard kid must have been too much to bear—</em>
</p>
<p>Goro shakes the memory aside. “She <em>what</em>.”</p>
<p>“It’s obvious, and the girl figured it out for herself anyway. Thought that maybe that lesson would keep her in check, so I remind her every now and again.”</p>
<p>
  <em>—don’t forget why your mom’s gone, Akechi—</em>
</p>
<p>Goro presses the sword deeper into the Shadow’s neck.</p>
<p>“Why the hell are <em>you</em> so sensitive about it?!”</p>
<p>“Continue,” is all Goro says, threatening to push the sword further.</p>
<p>“It’s fine anyway! That Sakura guy wants custody of the girl, so I’m thinking I’ll just squeeze some cash outta him first. He can just pay off my debts and the girl is his. I don’t give a shit about what happens to her after that.”</p>
<p>Goro sighs, lowering his sword, and Isshiki’s eyes gleam at the movement. “You gonna give me my money now?”</p>
<p>“No,” Goro says, angling the sword again. “The only paying that’s going to be done here is by you.” He swoops to the side, and doesn’t hesitate before plunging the sword into Youji Isshiki’s chest. “With your life,” he whispers, right next to Isshiki’s ear, then pulls the sword out, not even giving the Shadow time to transform.</p>
<p>“N . . . no . . .”</p>
<p>Goro turns away, resheathing the sword. “And one more thing. Futaba-chan didn’t kill Wakaba Isshiki.” Goro doesn’t look back at the man, instead walking away from the already-fading cove. “I did.”</p>
<p>The Shadow fades to dust.</p>
<p>When he’s certain that the Shadow’s remains are far behind him, he closes his eyes, dropping the darker outfit in favour of the white one. He doesn’t need to spook Futaba, just get information out of her Shadow, and convince her to <em>not</em> leave hacking traces into Shido’s network.</p>
<p>“Robin,” he murmurs, “can you tell where Futaba Isshiki’s Shadow is?”</p>
<p>Goro allows himself to focus and lets Robin Hood have full access to the forefront of his mind. He can feel his body raise its left hand, then its right; sideways, forward, back, upwards, then downwards.</p>
<p>Robin doesn’t get a reading, so he recedes back into Goro’s headspace.</p>
<p>Goro flexes his fingers, scowling. <em>Her Shadow isn’t here. Which means . . . she probably has a Palace. Even if her Shadow was undistorted, Robin would still be able to sense her.</em></p>
<p>Regardless, he pulls up the Nav. “Futaba Isshiki,” he says into the speaker.</p>
<p>“<em>Cannot locate candidate.</em>”</p>
<p>That settles it—she isn’t in Mementos at all.</p>
<p>Goro exhales, shoving the phone back in his pocket. <em>I’ll take out a few Shadows for training, then go back to reality. I probably won’t be able to get to Futaba-chan’s Palace today, assuming I can find the keywords quickly enough . . . and I’ll have to update Shido about Youji Isshiki.</em></p>
<p>Feeling a presence behind him, Goro turns around, swiftly punching an approaching Shadow in the face. It’s a Decarabia, so it immediately collapses upon impact.</p>
<p>Goro sighs, staring at the Shadow. “Why do you even bother attacking when you’re weak to physical skills?”</p>
<p>It blurbles out a response, something Goro doesn’t have the energy to try to decipher, but it seems eager to talk. He almost feels bad for the Shadow.</p>
<p>“Seriously,” he says, “I can’t believe I’m talking to, what, a starfish? I’m talking to a starfish Shadow about why it’s <em>attacking</em> me.”</p>
<p>The Decarabia blurbles again, this time something sadder. Goro frowns at it. “Okay, fine, a perfectly sentient starfish. You <em>are</em> a starfish, don’t give me that look.”</p>
<p>That, at least, seems to placate it. It spins around in a little circle, and Goro can’t help but think that it looks a little like Mitsuhide when he chases his tail.</p>
<p>It’s cute, in a slightly creepy way, and Goro tells the Shadow as much. It seems to take it as a compliment, before dropping on the floor what looks like a Bead and cartwheeling away.</p>
<p>Goro sighs, picking up the Bead. If nothing else, at least it can come in handy as an emergency healing item eventually, but he figures that he’s not going to be able to get much else done in Mementos today. <em>May as well head back to the surface and just fight whatever I come across</em>, he reasons.</p>
<p>Thirty-four battles later and almost entirely worn down, Goro stretches, having finally finished his trek to the first floor of Mementos.</p>
<p>A flash of gold catches his eye—Goro turns to look at it, but before he can catch sight of what it is, it’s gone. <em>Shadows can’t come up this high, but . . . then, what was that?</em></p>
<p>Goro shakes his head. He’s probably just worn out from the fighting—there’s no way anyone else could be down here, let alone pose a threat.</p>
<p>He ignores Robin’s protest that it seems familiar.</p>
<p>Goro takes out his phone, tapping on the command to return to reality, and closes his eyes as the world distorts around him in that same, mind-numbing way it always does.</p>
<p>No one, thankfully, notices him materialising in a back alley in Shibuya, away from both public eyes and ears. Not bothering to hesitate, he pulls off one of his leather gloves and dials in Shido’s number, then stuffs his hand back in it.</p>
<p>“<em>Akechi.</em>” Shido’s voice is flat. “<em>Do you have an update?</em>”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” Goro answers, careful not to use Shido’s name. “Youji Isshiki was indeed the one behind the hacking. He refused to cooperate, and instead threatened to leak information.”</p>
<p>“<em>And I presume you took care of it?</em>”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Goro answers smoothly. He’s gotten a lot better at tamping down his rage when talking to Shido, and it shows. “He will suffer a mental shutdown in the span of about a week. It’s likely he won’t die from it, but he has various debts that need paying off, so it’s perhaps about time they were collected?”</p>
<p>Goro can <em>hear</em> the smile on Shido’s face as venom coils itself around his words. “<em>That’s quite the cruel little plan, Akechi. Absolutely excellent—if you weren’t so bent on your quest for justice, you would make a fine politician.</em>”</p>
<p>The very thought makes Goro want to puke. “Thank you, sir. Should it be necessary, I’ll set this case up with the police.”</p>
<p>Shido chuckles through the receiver, “<em>I’ll have my cleaner take care of this one. If you want a challenge, I’ll throw you a bone. Figure Youji Isshiki’s ‘cause of death’ for yourself.</em>”</p>
<p>“Of course, sir. This, I believe, will play out to be quite entertaining.”</p>
<p>“<em>If that’s all</em>,” Shido says, and doesn’t wait for an answer before ending the call. Goro once again placates himself with the mental image of Shido falling to his knees with sheer horror in his eyes.</p>
<p><em>Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.</em> Goro quickly composes himself before stepping out of the alleyway and navigating his way through the train stations. He may have gotten Shido off of Futaba’s trail for now, but unless he can convince her Shadow to leave Wakaba Isshiki and Masayoshi Shido alone, this grace period will soon come to an end.</p>
<p>Closing his phone app, Goro switches to the MetaNav. “Futaba Isshiki,” he says into the speaker.</p>
<p>“<em>Candidate found.</em>”</p>
<p>Goro realises he knows almost nothing about Futaba Isshiki herself. Then, sighing, he decides he’ll have to do some research in the real world.</p>
<p>
  <em>I can pass it off under investigation of Youji Isshiki . . . and look into Futaba-chan herself during it. I can’t predict exactly when that man is going to have a mental shutdown, so I would have to make it quick . . .</em>
</p>
<p>Goro steps into his apartment, shrugging off his coat and placing it on his chair before taking off his shoes. Mitsuhide meows excitedly at his return, and Goro gives the cat a light pet on the head. “You’ve grown,” he mumbles quietly as Mitsuhide leaps onto his lap, rubbing the side of his face on Goro’s shirt.</p>
<p><em>I don’t only have to destroy things to survive</em>, he thinks, smiling as Mitsuhide purrs before falling asleep in his lap. <em>Such a good cat . . .</em> Goro thinks, his mind finally slowing down into a halt as he follows suit in pursuit of rest.</p>
<hr/>
<p>A week later, Goro finds himself dragging a hand across his face as he goes through Youji Isshiki’s autopsy report. Five days prior, Futaba Isshiki had been officially adopted by Sojiro Sakura due to Youji Isshiki’s poor care and recent “lack of responsiveness to external stimuli”, leaving Isshiki alone for when his mental shutdown occurred.</p>
<p>According to the autopsy report, however, traces of poison were found in his bloodstream, though the type was unidentifiable. If Goro were to guess, he would assume that it’s the work of a professional; someone who would develop their own poisons.</p>
<p>He knows that there aren’t too many of Shido’s puppets that specialise in poisons, and Goro’s sure that given Shido’s intent of making this a show for his own entertainment, the assassin would be someone he no longer needs. Someone he’s about ready for Goro to take care of and turn in to the police.</p>
<p>Mitsuhide meows, sniffing the autopsy report curiously.</p>
<p>“That’s not for you,” Goro just says, lifting the cat onto his lap. “What, do you want to be a lawyer, Mittsun? Maybe you’ll be the lucky cat who sends Shido to the gallows?”</p>
<p>Mitsuhide’s tail swishes in response as he tries to climb up onto Goro’s shoulders.</p>
<p>“It’s not like he isn’t doing the same. Sending them to their own tombs,” he mutters darkly. <em>Youji Isshiki, Wakaba Isshiki, Futaba Isshiki—all these are just names strung together of people who get in Shido’s way. All of which he plans to have permanently silenced. </em></p>
<p>“<em>Candidate found.</em>”</p>
<p>“Wait, what?” Goro lifts up his phone, seeing the MetaNav open, displaying two keywords: <em>Futaba Isshiki; tomb.</em></p>
<p>Goro feels his breath catch—it’s the first time he’s seen a Palace that might potentially incriminate its Ruler. Interest piqued, Goro wonders what exactly Futaba Isshiki would see as her tomb—her final resting place. <em>Obviously, it’s not going to be her school, or most places around Tokyo . . .</em></p>
<p>“Futaba Isshiki’s room.”</p>
<p>“<em>No candidates found.</em>”</p>
<p>“Youji Isshiki’s house?”</p>
<p>“<em>No candidates found.</em>”</p>
<p>“Meowww,” Mitsuhide tries.</p>
<p>“<em>No candidates found.</em>”</p>
<p>Goro pauses. <em>She doesn’t live in Youji Isshiki’s house now, so that must have incurred a change in cognition . . .</em></p>
<p>“Sojiro Sakura’s house.”</p>
<p>“<em>Beginning navigation.</em>”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Goro opens his eyes to unrelenting heat and near-painful brightness. Immediately, he flinches, the darkness of his costume accepting the unbearable sunlight all too easily. Goro switches to the princely outfit without hesitation.</p>
<p>“Mrowow,” Mitsuhide yowls from beside him, whimpering as he tries to raise his paws off the sand one at a time.</p>
<p>Quickly, Goro scoops him up into his arms. “Mittsun, you need to go home.” Goro knows he’s a cat <em>from</em> the Metaverse, but he also knows that this weather is absolutely not built for a cat with such a thick fluffy coat.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Mitsuhide doesn’t relent. “Mittsun,” Goro sighs. “Mitsuhide.”</p>
<p>The cat just snuggles deeper into Goro’s hold.</p>
<p>“Are you really going to make me carry you this whole time?”</p>
<p>The purr Goro gets in response is enough of an answer, so Goro begins his cat-laden trek towards the pyramid in the distance.</p>
<p>By the time Goro makes it halfway to the pyramid, he’s parched and on the verge of collapse. It’s been a long time since he’s been this <em>tired</em> before even entering a Palace properly, but at this point, the heat is nigh unbearable.</p>
<p>“L . . . Loki,” he mumbles quietly, and the Persona appears before him, face still split into a permanent grin. “Bufu,” is all Goro manages to say through the dryness of his mouth.</p>
<p>Thankfully, Loki complies, blocks of ice appearing on the sand in front of Goro.</p>
<p>Goro sighs with relief as he approaches it, removing his gloves and resting his palms on the quickly melting ice block, before breaking off a chunk of it and letting it sit in his mouth. Mitsuhide’s already eagerly lapping at the water that’s melted on the top.</p>
<p>A few Bufus and what feels like an hour later, Goro finally makes it to the pyramid’s entrance. <em>If I can find one safe room . . . I’ll go home, since the Nav can take me right there</em>, he decides, straightening himself at the entrance to the Palace. At the very least, he can tell that the heat hasn’t sapped his strength too much, so when he starts encountering Shadows, it won’t be a problem.</p>
<p>Just as Goro’s about to enter the pyramid, however, something—rather, some<em>one</em>—materialises in front of him.</p>
<p>One look confirms that she’s the Shadow of Futaba Isshiki: she has the same black hair and sharp eyes her mother had, the same flighty posture and steely determination, the same spark in her eyes that Goro had once been so used to seeing in those of Wakaba Isshiki.</p>
<p>Goro recalls the small girl who’d once barraged into a hospital room, rife with tears—she still looks almost the same, but . . . thinner, almost unhealthily so, and much more bent into herself, as though she’s used to making her presence scarce. Goro knows that look all too well; it’s a look he spent years trying to erase from his face, habits he fights constantly to keep out of his posture. Any doubt Goro had had regarding Youji Isshiki’s mental shutdown is gone.</p>
<p>The only other difference, perhaps, is her attire—Futaba sports a two-piece variant of an Egyptian kalasiris, with a crown on her head that definitely didn’t exist within ancient Egypt, but Goro notes that it bears similarities to the deshret crown.</p>
<p>Her head tilts sideways. “I recognise you.”</p>
<p>Goro remembers how she’d locked eyes with him once, over a year ago in the hallway, how she’d looked at him with something akin to recognition even then, and his heart leaps into his throat.</p>
<p>Still, she continues, surveying him. “Your outfit . . . you’re that band boy, aren’t you?”</p>
<p>Goro stops. Rewinds. Takes a deep breath and puts Mitsuhide down. “The . . . the what, now?”</p>
<p>She points at his outfit, squinting slightly at its brightness. “That thing you’re wearing looks like a marching band outfit, like in those idol games,” she says, as if that’s supposed to be common knowledge.</p>
<p>“I . . . see?” Goro says, completely dumbfounded. “It’s meant to be a prince outfit,” he admits.</p>
<p>She tilts her head. “Eh, I guess I can kinda see it? That outfit is sorta unforgettable, I guess . . .”</p>
<p>“You said you recognise me,” Goro cuts in before she starts talking about idol games again.</p>
<p>The Shadow’s golden eyes brighten a little. “Yeah! You look like this one person from a dream I had once. Same hair and eyes and outfit,” she says, clapping her hands together. The cloth draped across her arms flutters in the desert air.</p>
<p>“Really . . . ?”</p>
<p>“Yes, though I think my self in reality will be better able to describe the dream to you. This is just my cognition, after all.”</p>
<p>“Right . . .” Goro agrees, and he can feel sweat beading at his neck from the heat. He wishes, in the back of his mind, that he’d brought something to tie his hair with. It’s been getting longer lately, almost enough so to reach his shoulders, and under this heat, it’s hellish.</p>
<p>“Follow,” Futaba’s Shadow demands, before heading into the pyramid. Mitsuhide, seeming to sense the command, leaps after her, and Goro doesn’t miss the way her eyes brighten at the sight of the cat.</p>
<p>Goro bites his lip and steps inside—</p>
<p>—where a blast of cool air hits him, and for a second he thinks all the sweat on his body is going to freeze and turn him into a disgusting mess of dry sweat and sopping hair.</p>
<p>“The inside is air-conditioned,” Futaba’s Shadow explains, and Goro’s just about ready to drop onto the stone floor.</p>
<p>“Of course it is,” he mumbles, pulling out his phone to see that the Nav has accepted the inside of the pyramid as an important destination.</p>
<p>He’s <em>never</em> walking through that desert again. Ever.</p>
<p>Goro sits down on the cool floor, Mitsuhide and Futaba following suit.</p>
<p>“So,” the Shadow says, looking Goro directly in the eye, “why have you come here?”</p>
<p><em>And here we are . . . I need to ease into this conversation. It wouldn’t do to agitate her Shadow.</em> “Futaba-chan,” he says quietly, “you’re acquainted with Youji Isshiki, correct?”</p>
<p>“I—” she freezes, pulling back as though Goro had burned her. Then, a moment later, after regaining her composure, she says, “Yes. He’s . . . he was my uncle.”</p>
<p>“And a miserable, money-lusting excuse for a human being,” Goro mutters darkly.</p>
<p>“Y-yes,” Futaba agrees. “Wait, how did you . . . ?”</p>
<p>Goro lifts a shoulder, pretending that he doesn’t care. “I happened to find out he got mixed in with the wrong crowd and poured his money into the wrong sources. It was about time that he repaid his debts.”</p>
<p>Futaba just nods shakily. “I . . . I see,” she says quietly. “Sojiro’s way better than living with <em>him</em>,” she whispers, and something in the atmosphere of the Palace changes.</p>
<p>“That, however, is not necessarily the whole truth,” Goro continues, immediately regaining the Shadow’s attention. “The truth is that it has to do with your mother.”</p>
<p>Futaba flinches immediately, and the temperature of the Palace falls a few degrees. “With . . . Mom?”</p>
<p>Goro doesn’t know how to approach the topic delicately, and in her fragile state, that delicateness is exactly what she needs.</p>
<p>Thankfully, Futaba continues: “What does Mom have to do with him dying?”</p>
<p>Goro shifts, readjusting his mask. “It’s not strictly about what she had to <em>do</em> with it,” he says carefully, not wanting to lie, but not ready to reveal everything just yet. “But it’s more . . . that there are circumstances surrounding her that he was apparently involved in.”</p>
<p>Futaba just blinks at him.</p>
<p>Goro sighs. “What I’m trying to say is that your mother’s former . . . employer doesn’t want any of the secrets of her research getting out, and there were traces of it doing just that.”</p>
<p>The Shadow stiffens and freezes. “From when my self in reality hacked into the system.”</p>
<p>Goro nods. “He was convinced that the culprit was Youji Isshiki, and had him removed as per his fabrications.” Goro pauses. “I . . . it would be difficult if he were to find out that it was you.”</p>
<p>“He would have me assassinated?” Her voice is sharp as she asks. Clearly, she doesn’t seem to be one for sugarcoating.</p>
<p>Goro feels almost stupid for realising that now—her mother was the same way, after all. “Yes,” he says plainly.</p>
<p>Futaba looks at him once again, as if she’s trying to get a read on him with those Shadow-golden eyes. “So you worked with Mom, who worked under this megalomaniac . . .” Goro can almost see the cogs in her head turning (literally, as the green binary-hieroglyphs on the walls begin to move and change) as she processes the information. <em>That’s fascinating</em>, he can’t help but think. <em>I’ve never seen these cognition changes in action . . .</em></p>
<p>“So you’re the assassin?”</p>
<p>Futaba’s question is enough to completely throw Goro off. “What?” he asks, more out of sheer shock than desire for an answer.</p>
<p>“You have made it quite obvious,” the Shadow continues. “You work for this man, and know these secrets. Obviously, you bear animosity towards him, yet you are responsible nonetheless.”</p>
<p>Goro’s stomach churns as he wonders whether or not she’s figured out that he’s the reason her mother is dead as well. <em>Orphaned her like you orphaned yourself, selfish, selfish, selfish bastard, can’t expect anything better from someone like—</em></p>
<p>“Yes,” Goro just says, looking her in the eyes. She’s short, but there’s something in her eyes that <em>burns</em> him, almost scalding him with just her gaze alone.</p>
<p>There’s a few moments of silence between the two, and Goro doesn’t like how uncomfortably vulnerable he feels under her scrutiny—</p>
<p>A hollow, echoing laugh fills the entry chamber. <em>“She’s gone and it’s aaaaaall cuz of you, ya know?”</em></p>
<p>Goro immediately recognises the voice of Youji Isshiki, and a breath hisses through his teeth. “That <em>damned</em>—”</p>
<p>He hears a whimper from the floor next to him, and Futaba’s Shadow is curled up on the floor, clutching her knees and hiding her head in her hands. “No,” she gasps, the enunciation between Shadow and self slipping, the line between the two blurring.</p>
<p>
  <em>“She wouldn’t ’ve killed herself if it weren’t for you . . .”</em>
</p>
<p>A lump forms in Goro’s throat, and he feels his arms grab his own shoulders, the words bringing forth memories he’s tried too hard to ignore for the last eight years. “No . . .” he mumbles, and even though the words aren’t meant for him, they shake him to his core once again; make his knees wobble until he drops to the stone floor.</p>
<p>“I didn’t do it,” Futaba’s Shadow hisses, “it wasn’t me! Mom . . . Mom loved me, I know it!”</p>
<p>
  <em>—Mama wouldn’t leave me alone like this—</em>
</p>
<p>Goro doesn’t know what compels him to do it, but he moves closer to Futaba’s Shadow, just as the ground begins to shake. “Futaba-chan,” he says quietly, resting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s . . . your cognition; you’re the Ruler of this place. You can . . . you can make it stop, just will him away for now,” he manages to say despite the tightness in his chest.</p>
<p>“Don’t . . . don’t touch me,” she says quietly, but doesn’t make any effort to shy away from his hand—instead, she moves closer.</p>
<p>Goro’s hands move to cover her ears automatically, gritting his teeth as he blocks out Youji Isshiki’s cruel comments. “You can make him go away if you want him to,” he says quietly. He doesn’t even know if she can hear him through her own panic and his hands over her ears.</p>
<p>Futaba sobs a little. “Make him go away,” she says quietly, inching closer to Goro. Before he can even really realise what’s happening, her face is in his chest and she’s holding onto him tightly—as though seeking some sort of protection.</p>
<p>Protection from her own mind.</p>
<p>Goro smooths a hand over her hair. “I can’t make him go away, Futaba-chan. I don’t have that kind of power over here. But <em>you</em> do. Yell at him really loudly to go away, and you have to mean it, okay?”</p>
<p>He feels her nod against him repeatedly, then she inhales with a shudder and lets go. Slowly, she stands up, turns to face the origin of the voice, and yells, “GO AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!”</p>
<p>In that moment, she’s surrounded by an aura of raw power, her clothes billowing around her, until moments later, it fades. Youji Isshiki’s creepy disembodied voice is gone, along with the shaking of the chamber that had accompanied it.</p>
<p>Futaba’s Shadow finally stands up, staring at Goro—who’s still crouched on the ground. “That . . . that worked,” she mumbles, and Goro wonders if she’s ever tried to banish the voices before.</p>
<p>“It’s your cognition,” Goro just says, standing up. The earthquake, coupled with the awful memories that this Palace had brought forth seem to have weakened him—Robin isn’t responding to his thoughts and Goro swears that he can feel Loki mocking him.</p>
<p>“I . . . I see. But . . . can you go now? I think . . . some time might be needed.” She seems to say it more to herself than to him, and while Goro has a thousand more questions to ask her, he isn’t going to subject her Shadow to more pressing after this.</p>
<p>Goro pushes himself to his feet, clutching his head. He sets his jaw—maybe Isshiki had affected him more than he’d thought—and takes a deep breath. “I’ll be taking my leave, then.” He frowns, then looks around. “Mitsuhide?”</p>
<p>Electricity crackles from behind him, and for a moment, Goro wonders if he’s hallucinating, or if his cat really has a Persona.</p>
<p>“Jubei,” Futaba’s Shadow says from beside him. “That . . . that apparition thing. It’s called Jubei.”</p>
<p>Goro’s about ready to laugh in denial. “Come on, Mittsun,” he just says as the cat struts over. “We’re going home now.”</p>
<p>Mitsuhide meows, and Goro can feel himself being healed. “Electricity and heals, huh?” he asks, and Mitsuhide purrs proudly.</p>
<p>With that, Goro deactivates the Nav, which promptly dumps him back on his desk chair in his room, with Youji Isshiki’s autopsy report staring him in the face once again.</p>
<p>Goro has almost half a mind to burn it.</p>
<p>
  <em>—“bastard children should know they’re little more than a curse”—</em>
</p>
<p>Goro grits his teeth. Youji Isshiki had brought back too many things he’d been happy to press down and forget forever. He can’t afford to let himself weaken now because of something that happened so long ago.</p>
<p>
  <em>—“Mitsuko-chan, eh? She’s a looker, but she’s got a bastard of her own, kinda a deal breaker for me”—</em>
</p>
<p>He doesn’t think about Wakaba Isshiki, or how Shido had used her, just how he’d used Goro’s own mother. He doesn’t think about how it’s his fault that Futaba Isshiki had to suffer for a year what he’s experienced since he was a child; an orphaned child of a single mother.</p>
<p>
  <em>—“don’t go close to that boy, love, he’ll be just like the whore his mother is”—</em>
</p>
<p>Even if it was at his hands that both Mitsuko Akechi and Wakaba Isshiki died, however inadvertently. One driven to suicide, the other forced to let go of her own life because of his mistakes, his own ignorance. He knows that it’s his existence to blame; knows that everyone else who could ever know the real him would agree.</p>
<p>
  <em>—“oh, Akechi-kun, how could it not be your fault?”—</em>
</p>
<p>Goro pushes himself away from his desk and stands up abruptly. <em>I’m not listening to this</em>, he thinks weakly, immediately collapsing onto his bed.</p>
<p>
  <em>—“society has values, you know. Children like you are the way they’re broken”—</em>
</p>
<p>He barely has the presence of mind to kick off his shoes and burrow deep into the covers before the memories and exhaustion drag him into the world of nightmares.</p>
<p>
  <em>—“Mitsuko Akechi, cause of death, suicide. Driven to death from shame of birthing out of wedlock. Where does that put you, Akechi-kun?”—</em>
</p>
<p>Sleep is not kind to Goro Akechi.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>okay so fun fact, when I first typed that massive GO AWAAAAAAAY, my Google Doc tried to correct it to GAAAAAAAAAAY. just thought I would share</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Familiarity and Dissonance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Perhaps Goro isn't the only one combing the Metaverse for information.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Goro does not return to Futaba’s Palace that week.</p><p>Instead, he’s in Mementos again, punching the living daylights out of a one-eyed elephant Shadow as it dissolves to dust. <em>I’m getting stronger</em>, he thinks.</p><p>“Not bad,” says a voice from behind him, and Goro immediately whirls around, hand on his sword.</p><p>“Who—?” The voice, apparently, belonged to another human, not a Shadow. “Who are you, and what are you doing here.”</p><p>The man behind him laughs lightly, gentle. “You don’t need to worry,” he says, all smiles and grace, and tucks a flower into his lapel.</p><p>Goro <em>swears</em> those mannerisms are familiar, but he can’t put his finger on it. “Like I said,” he just repeats, voice even, “who are you?”</p><p>The man smiles sweetly, and Goro wishes it weren’t as gorgeous as it were. “No one, really. Just a passerby, I suppose you would say.” He pauses, then looks right at Goro. “Not often that I come across another here in Mementos, though, I must admit. And another one with a Persona, at that!”</p><p>“So you have a Persona?” Goro chooses his words carefully, not willing to reveal more than what this mystery man already knows. From the looks of it, it’s clear to Goro that this man is an adult, probably in his late twenties at most, with thick black hair and pretty almond eyes. He’s also just slightly taller than Goro.</p><p>Most notable, though, is his attire: the mask on his face seems like it’s made of gold, with sculpted wings attached to either temple, and a matching bronze pair of wings spread across his back. (Goro almost wishes either of his outfits had come with wings.)</p><p>His clothes share a similar timeless motif—a white shirt with mauve ribbon tied near the neck and fastened with what looks more like the dial of a watch than a button or jewel, with a yellow flower tucked neatly into his breast pocket.</p><p>He’s wearing a brown double-breasted tailcoat with similar gold piping across the seams, pinched close at his waist with a belt fastened with what Goro’s fairly sure is a pocket watch rather than a buckle. The tails seem to almost billow out from behind him, paired with matching brown heeled leather boots that almost reach the man’s knees, with a single gold belt near the top of each boot.</p><p>Completing the outfit is a pair of black breeches under the coat and boots, and the seams almost glow like quicksilver in the Metaverse’s eerie light.</p><p>“I summon thee, Chronos!” the man says, summoning a Persona with a clock for a face, three pairs of golden wings, and a matte black mechanical body.</p><p>Goro feels almost obligated to respond similarly. “Robin Hood, manifest!”</p><p>Robin Hood stands beside Goro, tall and strong, and . . . seemingly, surprisingly tolerant of Chronos. If nothing else, Robin’s confirmed that this person doesn’t bear any malicious intent to him.</p><p>Finally, Goro lets go of his sword.</p><p>The man smiles again, and this time there’s a more playful twinkle in his eye. “Feel free to call me Icarus,” he says, dramatically throwing some kind of flower to the floor that Goro doesn’t recognise. Still, he picks it up. “So, what brings you here, taking out your anger on the Shadows here, <em>kotori-kun</em>?”</p><p>“Kotori . . . ?” Goro echoes, confused. “Is that meant to be some sort of . . . code name?”</p><p>The man—Icarus—laughs again. “More of a nickname—sorry, I got the idea from your mask. I suppose it’s probably not the best idea to refer to someone by their real name in a metacognitive realm,” Icarus shrugs, readying his arm to throw another flower from his lapel at an unsuspecting Orthrus.</p><p><em>What does he expect it to do? Eat the flower or something? Or get pissed off enough to charge him?</em> Goro frowns, watching the flower intently as it flies in a neat arc towards the Shadow—</p><p>—and it promptly dissolves it into ash.</p><p>Goro can feel himself go slack-jawed at the sight. There’s no way that could have made sense; the Metaverse doesn’t <em>work</em> like <em>that</em>; that’s <em>impossible</em>, there <em>must</em> be some kind of trick to it that he missed—</p><p>“There’s nothing special about it,” Icarus says simply, shrugging elegantly as his wings flutter. “It’s just cognition, I suppose.”</p><p>Goro feels his frown deepen. “Did I say that out loud?”</p><p>Icarus chuckles. “No, but I can imagine your surprise upon seeing it. I’m not quite sure how it works either, if I’m honest, but I’ve grown to accept it.” Icarus pauses, his voice growing quiet and his eyes wistful. “Though . . . I can’t deny I have a few ideas and naught but a passion for each flower’s meaning.”</p><p>“I . . . see.” Goro really doesn’t know what to think. He’d come here to get a moment’s break from all the ridiculousness that’s been going on in reality with Sae, Shido, and the media, and from Futaba and her own Palace, and now he’s here seeing someone else in the Metaverse for the first time killing Shadows with <em>flowers</em>. “I’m going to have a brain aneurysm,” he mutters, trudging to the edge of the train tracks and hauling himself up onto the platform.</p><p>Icarus follows, seating himself next to Goro, and offers him a Chewing Soul. “Thank you,” Goro just says, popping it into his mouth. If nothing else, at least he can think more clearly.</p><p>“Had a bad day?” Icarus asks, and this time, Goro feels like he can admit it. “This week’s been rather taxing,” he admits.</p><p>“I can understand that,” Icarus agrees, stretching, and he seems a lot more casual and open now, glancing at Goro from the side. “How old did you say you were?”</p><p><em>I didn’t say anything about myself at all</em>, Goro almost mutters. Instead, what he says is, “I’m sixteen.”</p><p>“Oh, is that so?” Icarus closes his eyes, smiling as if he’s recalling a pleasant memory. “There’s a jazz club I know by Kichijoji that should allow you in, if you’d like to go there. It’s a nice place to relax, I find, and they serve excellent nonalcoholic drinks.”</p><p>“Oh?”</p><p>Icarus nods. “It’s called Jazz Jin. I go there every Saturday evening,” he says, and Goro recognises it immediately for what it is: an invitation to meet in reality, should Goro choose to accept it.</p><p>Goro doesn’t reply. <em>I’ll check this place out soon anyway, perhaps this evening . . . before I risk running into him. I still don’t know who he is, and letting anyone else know about my connection with Shido could be the end of me . . .</em></p><p>His mind wanders to Futaba, whose Shadow had figured him out succinctly and near-immediately. At the very least, Futaba doesn’t know who he really is. <em>And if nothing else, Icarus hasn’t seen Loki or my other outfit. If he could come down here on his own, it’s not a stretch to assume that there could be many others wandering around the Metaverse . . .</em> he frowns. <em>At the very least, it gives me a potential alibi provided he never finds out about Shido or makes the connection between the rampage incidents and the Metaverse, but it also means I have to be more careful around here in case I wander into someone else.</em> Goro’s briefly relieved that the darker outfit is able to completely mask his identity.</p><p><em>Icarus, at least, seems trustworthy, but I can’t say the same for everyone.</em> After all, according to Wakaba Isshiki, it takes a special sort of “twisted” to be able to gain a Persona, especially one such as Loki.</p><p>In the back of his mind, Loki preens proudly, taking it as a compliment.</p><p>“Alright,” Goro just says, standing up again. “I’m going to fight some Shadows.”</p><p>Then, Icarus’ eyes fill with a look that Goro can’t quite decipher—somewhere between coyness and mischief. “Say,” he says, “how would you like to learn a few of my own fighting skills?”</p><p>Goro pauses, thinking it over. Since he’s got nothing to lose— “Sure.”</p><p>Icarus grins. “Excellent. So, how many Personas do you have?”</p><p>Goro pauses. “How many?” From what he remembers from Isshiki’s research and data, most people can’t take on more than one Persona, since each person has only one “self”. <em>So why would he . . . ?</em></p><p>“It’s possible to take on these Shadows as Personas, provided they like you enough,” Icarus explains. <em>Oh.</em> “The way they do it has changed over time, I suppose . . .”</p><p><em>This . . . this is something new</em>, Goro realises. “What do you mean?” he asks, paying rapt attention.</p><p>“Well, for starters,” Icarus hums, “when I used to come down here, we didn’t have any type of different outfits; just our own clothes.” A shadow passes over his face as he adds, “We didn’t have any masks, either, and you didn’t need a phone app to get in.”</p><p>Goro can’t even fathom that.</p><p>“And the Shadows . . . they seem to have been changing at an almost exponential level. About sixteen years ago, the Shadows were more open to talking when encountering them, and if you got them to like you enough, they would do something for you.”</p><p><em>Huh . . .</em> “Like what kind of things, if I may ask?”</p><p>“Well, if you made them happy or content, they could choose to heal you, physically or mentally, or they would give you an item or even money. If you excited them enough, they would give you tarot cards, which would give you an ability to summon them to aid you at any time as a Persona. Of course, if you scared it, it would run away, or if you were to anger them, they would attack with more ferocity.”</p><p>“You can . . . make Shadows into Personas?” This was something that Goro had never heard before, with both his own experience and Isshiki’s research.</p><p>There’s a twinkle, now, in Icarus’ eyes, and for some reason, it seems painstakingly familiar. “Would you like to try?”</p><p>Goro nods, following as Icarus gestures for him to do so, before leading him into a more open area, just near the top of the Path of Sheriruth. There’s a Shadow there, and Goro just about manages to catch it by surprise.</p><p>“Hey, you—”</p><p>It stands up, revealing its form—standing tall in red armour and chainmail, with black feathered wings and a similarly decorated red spear and shield.</p><p>“Who art thou?” the Shadow asks suspiciously, and Goro automatically reaches for his weapon, when Icarus shakes his head, stepping forward with a brilliant smile.</p><p>“Excuse us, we just wished to speak with you. Isn’t that right, <em>kotori-kun</em>?”</p><p>“Ah—yeah,” Goro agrees, shifting his position and standing up straight.</p><p>The Shadow eyes the duo suspiciously. “What about?”</p><p>From Goro’s side, Icarus says, “It’s your turn to shine now, <em>kotori-kun</em>. He’s quite serious, so don’t be flippant, but speak to him as though you’re speaking to yourself.”</p><p>“O . . . okay,” Goro says, then turns and bows at the Shadow. “Pardon me,” he says, respectful but unyielding. “I humbly request your aid.”</p><p>The Shadow makes a sound of appraisal. <em>So all I have to do is act in a way that it likes? That won’t be too difficult. In fact, it’s probably what I do most</em>, Goro realises.</p><p>“Your strength is formidable,” Goro continues, looking the Shadow directly in its glowing green eyes, “and I believe we could both benefit from this partnership.”</p><p>The Shadow’s eyes gleam for a moment, and Goro can tell he’s getting somewhere. Then, it says, “Best me in a duel.”</p><p>“. . . Excuse me?”</p><p>“Should you be able to knock me down,” the Shadow says in complete seriousness, “I shall consider you worthy of my cooperation.”</p><p>Behind him, Icarus’ voice is sharp. “Watch out, if you want, you can back out now—”</p><p>“I accept your offer,” Goro says smoothly, and there’s something akin to a grin on the Shadow’s face, one that’s similar enough to the one Goro wears when he heads into battle.</p><p>Without warning, the Shadow casts a Swift Strike, most of which end up hitting Goro.</p><p>“You’re good,” Goro says, hitting the Shadow with a Kouga, which it blocks completely.</p><p>“You would do well to talk less and think more,” the Shadow chides, boosting its agility as Goro has Robin Hood use a Brave Blade. There’s a flurry of swords and spears, ducks and dodges, strikes and shouts, when Goro concentrates, then stares directly at the Shadow.</p><p>“I think you could do with being knocked down a few pegs,” Goro hisses, “right below me, <em>where you belong!</em> Robin Hood, Eiga!”</p><p>The Eiga that hits the Shadow this time is strong enough to completely knock it to its feet with no chance of getting up within the next round or so.</p><p>This time, when the Shadow looks at him, it does so with fascination. “I accept your offer,” it says, and the moment the battle atmosphere breaks, it manages to stand up onto its feet, recovering. “I am Power. I shall become one with this mask and protect you with my life as though I were an iron shield.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Goro mumbles as the Shadow disintegrates and his mask absorbs it. In the back of his mind, he can sense Loki and Robin acknowledging Power’s presence.</p><p>Behind him, Icarus claps. “Excellent work, <em>kotori-kun</em>! I will say, I was quite surprised when you agreed to fight it. That wasn’t necessarily a weak Shadow.”</p><p>Goro shrugs, and he’s not quite sure how he can tell, but, “He commanded respect and sincerity. If I had refused the duel, it would have been an insult to him, and even if he had agreed, he wouldn’t have been willing.”</p><p>“And one more thing,” Icarus says, this time looking Goro evenly in the eye. “You were fully aware that it would be weak to curse skills from the beginning, when you cast that Kouga. Why, then, did you draw the battle out so long?”</p><p>Goro bites his lip. “I think,” he says slowly, “that it would have been unfair if I’d used it right off the bat. That duel was more than just a fight, it was an honest show of sincerity and display of abilities.” He tugs at his mask, then says, “If I had used curse skills from the beginning it would have functionally served as a handicap, and if I were to use an extra ability that I’d had from the start, it wouldn’t have been a fair duel.”</p><p>“I see,” Icarus nods, not revealing anything towards his own thoughts. “That’s quite earnest of you, I’d say. Most people who are given an advantage like that would use it to their benefit.”</p><p>“Well,” Goro says, a shadow falling over his face, “maybe I just know what it’s like to have to fight against those kinds of advantages when you have even less than nothing.”</p><p>Goro can feel Icarus’ hand fall to rest on his shoulder, but he pays it no heed, despite his shoulder near-aching from the very thought of gentle contact with a real person for the first time in so, so many years. <em>Maybe Icarus is trustworthy. Maybe.</em></p><p>It’s at that moment that he feels something approaching from behind—and judging by Icarus’ expression when he swivels around, he senses it too.</p><p>Behind them is another of those one-eyed elephant Shadows, bracing for battle. “Power, come forth! Use Hamaon!” Goro finds himself shouting, and Power does just that, with the added benefit of a boosted bless attack.</p><p>The other Shadow didn’t stand a chance—holy light wraps around it and bursts the demon to ashes. “I think that’s enough for today,” Goro says. “I’ll be returning to the real world.” Then, after a moment’s hesitation, “Thank you, Icarus.”</p><hr/><p>Despite his usual post-Metaverse exhaustion, Goro finds himself at the entrance to Jazz Jin, above the staircase entryway.</p><p>Goro enters the club, feeling the atmosphere shift the moment he steps in—as soon as he’s out of the streets of Kichijoji, he can feel a welcoming hum from the room itself, lit up with warm orange lights and a soft piano playing jazz in the background, accompanied by a few other brass instruments that he can’t name.</p><p>Icarus was right, the atmosphere here is absolutely phenomenal.</p><p>The owner seems to notice his presence about then. “Hello,” he greets, and he seems so relaxed that it spreads.</p><p>Goro bows. “Good evening.”</p><p>“Come in,” the man says, gesturing inwards. “Have a seat. My name’s Muhen, I’m the manager here. And you?”</p><p>“I’m Akechi,” Goro finds himself saying automatically.</p><p>“High school student? Afraid I can’t serve alcohol to minors. Well, anyway, I’ll have the menu out for you in a moment. Why don’t you sit down and relax, kiddo? You look tired.”</p><p>Goro nods and seats himself at the barstool closest to the wall, setting his briefcase down. It’s a relatively new one, emblazoned with a giant ‘A.’ Apparently, according to one of Shido’s hoity-toity friends, having a symbol or a logo would help set him apart, so he’d requested something simple and not overwhelmingly personal.</p><p>Just then, the menu is placed in front of him, and Goro chooses the first drink he sees the name of, before Muhen sets off to have it made.</p><p>“Good evening, Muhen,” Goro hears in the background, and he’s immediately sure that the voice belongs to Icarus. <em>If I look now, he’ll know it’s me. Don’t look, Akechi. Do not look at him.</em></p><p>“Ah, been a while, bud! Finally come down for a drink?”</p><p>Icarus laughs, “I was here on Saturday. And the Saturday before that.”</p><p>Muhen chuckles. “You missed a lot on Monday, though—Michel came in demanding to play before I had to remind him that this is a <em>jazz</em> club. He pouted around for an hour, you know? Then Miyabi came by and cheered him right up.”</p><p>“Somehow, Muhen, I’m not surprised. Next time, he’ll have to deal with Tacchi, I’m sure, since he’s coming by next week.”</p><p>“Oh, is he? Doesn’t he have work to do back in Sumaru? And what about little Ren-kun?”</p><p>“Ha ha, Tacchi’s finally on break, so he’s coming to Tokyo for a week. Ren has a school trip to a small town a short ways away then—Inaba, I think—so he won’t be coming.”</p><p>“Oh, is that so? Then, why don’t I invite . . .” Goro ignores the rest of the conversation, his mind starting to wander, and he pulls his briefcase onto his lap. <em>I may as well start working on Youji Isshiki’s murder case.</em></p><p>He pulls out his laptop and a notebook, and opens the scanned file of his autopsy report. <em>Poison found in the bloodstream, the source of which remains unidentified . . . no external wounds, but reports say he was dazed and uninteractive in the moments leading up to death.</em> Quickly, he writes it down in the notebook before switching to a folder wherein he’d found court records of various unsolved poisoning incidents over the last few years.</p><p>To Goro’s chagrin, the records were all just unspecific enough to evade any sort of recognition, coherence, or correlation between the crimes. Instead, all of them just listed the source of the poison as a black market dealer and left it at that.</p><p><em>I’ll have to trace their movements, then, in the moments leading up to their deaths. That is, presuming they weren’t falsely convicted . . .</em> Goro’s seen that type of incident occur so many times, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to him if he ended up on the wrong track completely for it.</p><p>His drink is set down in front of him then, and Goro glances up to receive it, thanking Muhen, before catching a glance of someone from the corner of his eye. He can’t quite see the other man’s face from where he is, but his hair, if nothing else, matches his memory of Icarus’ completely.</p><p>Unfortunately, the price for seeing Icarus’ face would be revealing Goro’s own identity, so he keeps his head low and turns back to the case files, sipping his—frankly delicious—drink in the meantime.</p><p>An hour or so later, a connection manages to appear between a number of the poisoning cases, though one that doesn’t lead to a particular individual—but a large sum of money was extracted from the bank accounts of the majority of the suspects at a time roughly a week before the incident of the poisoning itself. <em>It must have been done with direct cash transfers to avoid discovery . . .</em></p><p>Goro quickly does a scan check to see how many of them had an active Pasmo card at the time, and most of the results turned up successful.</p><p><em>Now to see what their destinations have in common . . .</em> If, of course, the transfer had been made in cash, that means that each of the culprits would have had to meet up with the poisoner in person.</p><p>Of course, most of them had been to Shibuya, Kanagawa, and Aoyama, but one thing that all the cards had in common was an exit at a specific gate in Shinjuku, towards Kabukicho.</p><p>A pit settles into Goro’s stomach. <em>I know I said I would never go there again, but . . .</em></p><p>Goro shakes his head. He has to let go of that now. <em>If I don’t do this quickly, Shido might find out why . . . that’s something I can’t afford</em>, he tells himself.</p><p><em>I’ll head there tomorrow, I think. This case ought to be solved soon . . .</em> With that, Goro stands up, putting his work files away, and closes his laptop.</p><p>And in that moment, he catches a glimpse of Icarus’ face as he talks animatedly with Muhen.</p><p>Or rather, he catches a glimpse of <em>Jun Kurosu’s</em> face.</p><p>Somehow, Goro can’t bring himself to even be surprised. Instead, he leaves the money for his drink on the counter, and leaves without looking at his teacher again.</p><p><em>I really hope he didn’t know it was me</em>, he thinks numbly as he makes his way back home.</p><p>By the time he reaches his apartment, he unpacks his briefcase and takes out some bread and a slice of cheese from the fridge, dumping together a quick sandwich. The bread is slightly stale and the cheese is barely a week from its expiry, but Goro doesn’t pay heed to it. Instead, he takes his phone out, quickly making a call.</p><p>“Akechi-kun?” Sae’s voice is surprised when she picks up. “Is there something you needed?”</p><p>“Ah, good evening, Sae-san. I happen to be working on the murder investigation of Youji Isshiki and I wanted to know if you had any leads on the poisoning case suspects at all.”</p><p>“No, not yet,” she admits.</p><p>“I see,” Goro nods. “In any case, I’ve found a potential lead in Kabukicho, somewhere all the suspects of previous strange poisoning cases went in the time between withdrawing similarly large sums of money. I was planning on going there tomorrow to investigate—”</p><p>“You’re going to go to Kabukicho <em>alone</em>?” Sae asks, her voice rising. “Absolutely not, there’s a lot of groups there who would target teenagers, and you’re, what, still in your first year of high school?”</p><p>“Sae-san, it’s quite necessary that I—”</p><p>“As I said, Akechi-kun, you will not be going alone. If it comes to it, I’ll accompany you there. You’re still a child—”</p><p>“And you’re not my mother, Sae-san,” Goro says curtly. “Nor my sibling. While I understand that you may consider me similar to your own sister in age, I am not her, and you therefore bear no legal responsibility over me. I can assure you that I am acquainted enough with the area that I can handle myself.”</p><p>There’s silence on the line for a moment, before a sigh. “If you insist. However, I’ll send you a number to call, should you find yourself in any trouble. It’s for the owner of a bar in the area, and she’ll help you out on my behalf.”</p><p>Goro doesn’t know how to respond. “I . . . thank you, Sae-san,” he says. He hadn’t expected her to still insist on helping even after he snapped at her.</p><p>“Anyway,” she continued, “you were investigating Youji Isshiki’s death? Do you think it has something to do with those . . . psychotic breakdown incidents?”</p><p>Goro’s heart leaps to his throat. “I hadn’t considered that at all, Sae-san. Do you think there’s a correlation?”</p><p>Sae sighs. “I’m not quite sure. All I know is that there was some sort of relation between his older sister, Wakaba Isshiki, and those episodes. I’m wondering if this could have been a form of collateral damage.”</p><p>Goro slumps down on his chair in relief and takes another bite of his sandwich as Mitsuhide stretches in his sleep. “Oh, I see.”</p><p>“Though,” Sae continues, “it’s been difficult to investigate her. Her late brother didn’t know anything about her work, but until recently, he had been taking care of her daughter. Now that he’s passed on, Futaba Isshiki has been taken in by one of her mother’s former work associates, and as far as I’m aware, she’s been enrolled in online schooling for the rest of her middle school education. That’s about all I can tell you, though. If I find any more information related to the poisoning cases, I’ll let you know.”</p><p>“Thank you, Sae-san,” Goro says, ending the call and finishing his sandwich. <em>My head feels like it’s about to explode . . .</em></p><p>Goro’s phone beeps again—this time with an email. He sighs, opening the notification.</p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>From: Jun Kurosu </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>To: CLASS 1-C (miyazuki.ayane (ayane), h3ll0l4di3s (mikoshiba), akechi.goro, (akechi), m1nuk1ch4n (naruhodou), hanamiya (mayuzumi), and 11 more…</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Hello, students, </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>I hope this email finds you well. I have attached the requisite files for your literature assignment, due next Friday. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Best regards,</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Jun Kurosu</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p><em>Not more homework</em>, Goro thinks pathetically, almost falling asleep on the table before lugging himself to bed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>1) can you tell how much I love jun kurosu? I hope so<br/>2) HOPEFULLY it came across well in the fic but if you wanna see what I had in mind for Icarus' outfit it's basically <a href="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/561241980491923456/805162044931571773/unknown.png">this</a> (imagine it coloured shh)<br/>3) let's play a game, it's called how many ace attorney references can I throw in without it being a full blown crossover</p><p>Aaaaand anyway, that's what I have thus far! I'm aiming to update this every Friday or Saturday, so there's that! ^v^ This is what I had time to submit for the GBB2020!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading!! If you liked it, you can find me on <a href="https://my-colour-undiminished.tumblr.com">Tumblr</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/emerald_heart12">Twitter</a>! If you want to see previews of my works or know more, definitely join <a href="https://discord.gg/EVvpkc7">my writing Discord server</a>!</p>
<p>Also, go check out Lizzie's <a href="https://isntfateartistic.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/oshitsweetflips">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/isntfateartistic/">Instagram</a> for more of her lovely artwork!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>